Bridge to Blue Rock Hotel circa 1910

This postcard is part of the Owen (Newton P.) Postcard Collection. University Archives and Records Center, University of Louisville

Blue Rock Hotel was one of two hotels in Fisherville in the early 1900's. The hotel was opened by Stephen Beard who owned a substantial amount of Fisherville property in his day. The hotel was opened as a health spa due to the mineral water well found on the property. The water was diverted to a bathing lake for guests. The well dried up in 1914 and 7 years later so did the resort feel of Fisherville. The hotel was finally demolished in 1939.

I am not 100% sure on the location of the Blue Rock Hotel. Based on accounts I have heard and a survey map of 1913, I will make an educated guess that it was located on what is now Old Routt Rd near the current location of Cedar Ridge Camp.

I hope to find pictures of the hotel eventually, but the postcard of the bridge will have to suffice for now. To find any information on this area is a treat. To some extend, this is the land that time forgot.

Resources:
Kleber, John E. Encyclopedia of Louisville, The. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky,2000. 93. Print.

University Records and Archives, University of Louisville. Bridge to Blue Rock Hotel. Photo.

Wikipedia says...

Here is some very basic historical information regarding the area according to Wikipedia:

Fisherville is a neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky centered along Taylorsville Road & Finchville Road. It was originally named Curreys after Edward Currey, who opened a post office in 1833. In 1847, it was renamed after Robert Fisher who had died two years earlier and operated a mill on Floyds Fork with his father, John. The area became more commercial in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to the opening of railroad tracks and the discovery of a mineral water well. Visitors came for the therapeutic value of the mineral water, but when the well went dry in 1914 the area began its reversion to being a primarily residential area.

Here is a recent picture of the Fishers House:

Photo by Mike Farmer.

Visit the Wikipedia page for Fisherville,KY for more information. It would be great if people could add to the article there for a more complete and up to date snapshot of our community.