Who was Louisville named for?

Louisville was Georgia’s third state capital following Savannah and Augusta. The city, named after French King Louis XVI for his support during the American Revolution, was the capital from 1796-1807.

Why was the Capital moved to Louisville?

Located in Jefferson County, Louisville was selected as the capital due to, what at the time was its location as the center of Georgia population. This was driven by the state’s westward expansion. The state’s legislators hoped that the town would also serve as a trading center due to its location on the Ogeechee River.

Problems at Louisville

 Once it was established, Louisville developed both socially and financially. However, Louisville’s time as capital ended in 1807 due several factors including the malaria outbreaks the occurred in the city every year, the difficulty of using the Ogeechee River as a trade route, and most importantly, the continual Northwestern movement of Georgia’s population.

Interesting Facts

Note: One of the most famous events in the city was when the state legislators publically set fire to the Yazoo Land Act with a magnifying glass. Note: Georgia’s Louisville is not pronounced the same as the Louisville in Kentucky. In Georgia, it sounds like the name “Lewis.” In the same way most Americans pronounce St. Louis, Missouri.

Why do we have to learn this anyway?

The primary reason that students should know about Louisville is it illustrates Georgia’s population growth and movement from the coast to the Northwestern part of the state. An easy way for students to remember the name of all of Georgia’s capital cities is to teach them the acronym S.A.L.M.A. which stands for Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta.