City of Newport, Kentucky

Established in 1795 by James Taylor, Newport is named in honor of Admiral Christopher Newport. Admiral Newport had led the first English settlement at Jamestown, which is in Taylor’s native state of Virginia. The land had actually been platted twenty years prior by his brother Hubbard Taylor, who at the time was surveying it for his father.

In 1793 it is said that James Taylor laid out the workings for a road to Lexington (U.S. 27) and in 1795 he subdivided 150 acres of land into lots. Newport’s development took a major boost in 1803 when the army agreed to build a military post there. The army purchased five acres of land for a $1 from James Taylor. The land was located at the mouth of the Licking River. The army post was later to be named the Newport Barracks.

By 1848, the year of James Taylor’s death, Newport’s population had grown to around 1,000 people. The residents had a couple of churches and several factories that manufactured rope and woolen products.

Newport's military post was the center of activity during the Civil War and recruiters from both the Union and the Confederate Armies recruited there. It is also said that Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant done tours of duty at the Newport Barracks.

The 1860’s brought Newport mass transit in the form of mule driven streetcars. The Newport Street Railway, which operated routes on York St. and Washington Street later merged into what became the Green Line bus system and into present day Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky.

The turn of the century brought electricity to Newport and a numbering system that caused the renaming of many Newport streets. It was also in that time that Newport native John Thompson invented the Thompson Machine Gun (“Tommy Gun”) that became known nationwide for it’s use by gangsters. The gangsters themselves would become a part of Newport’s history during the 1920’s.

A flood in 1937 left much of Newport under water, and would go down in history as Newport’s worst natural disaster to date. The floodwall that is part of today’s landscape was completed in 1948, as a result of the flood of 1937.

The 1940’s through 1980’s brought turbulent times for Newport as gambling halls and Vegas style nightclubs operated in the city. During this period Newport became Cincinnati’s playground and earned nation recognition as “Sin City”. Go-Go Clubs on Monmouth Street offered nude dancing, and prostitution was commonplace. Efforts to clean up the city in response to public outcry led to a ban on nude dancing in 1982. The constant battle for reform has rewarded Newport with its current stature of today.

Today’s Newport is a hot bed of development and redevelopment. The eastside has been transformed into the East Row Historic District, a place where homes have been returned to their original historic state. Property values are dramatically on the rise and pride in the community can be seen on every corner. The Riverfront area is also being developed and tourist attractions such as the Newport Aquarium, Millennium Bell and Newport on the Levee have been erected. Newport is also becoming a home for unique shops, cafe's and bed and breakfast inns. The riverfront community is now brimming with dining options and festivities. For all that it has become the best is yet to come for Newport.