Frankfort's 1937 and 1978 Flood Record
Frankfort's worst recorded floods came in 1937 and 1978, when the Kentucky River rose high enough in the city's tight bend to prompt the levees and floodwalls later built downtown specifically to hold the water back. The site itself dates to 1786, when Gen. James Wilkinson founded the city on the river's north bank -- a name that's actually a corruption of "Frank's Ford," after frontiersman Stephen Frank, who was killed at a crossing here in 1780.
Living With Frankfort's River-Adjacent Exposure
Even short of a repeat of 1937 or 1978, that same river-bend site keeps Frankfort more exposed to sudden water events than towns set farther from a major river -- heavy spring and fall rain can overwhelm downtown drainage before it ever reaches the levee line, especially in neighborhoods built before the floodwalls existed.
Project Paths
A Water Damage Response Built Around Frankfort's Flood History
A response in Frankfort should factor in that river-adjacent flood history directly -- how close a property sits to the levee line, how downtown drainage handles a fast-moving storm, and how much time has passed since water intrusion began. This site does not promise emergency-speed availability for that response.