Frankfort, city in the north central part of Kentucky, capital of the state, and seat of Franklin County, on the Kentucky River. Situated in the heart of the state's Bluegrass Region, the city is a distribution center for corn, tobacco, and Thoroughbred horses; manufactures include clothing, electrical equipment, air brakes, and bourbon whiskey. Of interest are the State Capitol (1910), modeled after the United States Capitol; a floral clock on the capitol grounds, with more than 22,000 plants; the Greek Revival-style old capitol (originally completed 1830, now restored), housing the Kentucky Historical Society; and Liberty Hall (1796). Pioneer Daniel Boone and Rebecca, his wife, are buried in the Frankfort Cemetery. The city is the site of Kentucky State University (1886). A game reserve is nearby.
Frankfort was settled by whites in 1786 by the Virginia Assembly on land owned by the American Revolution general James Wilkinson. The site had first been known as Frank's Ford in honor of Stephen Frank, a frontiersman killed in 1780 in a skirmish with Native Americans at a ford in the river here. The present version of the name was officially adopted in 1786, but Frank's Ford was in popular use until about 1830. Frankfort was chosen as the state capital in 1792, when Kentucky was admitted to the Union. After the old capitol burned on two occasions during its early history, the larger Kentucky cities of Louisville and Lexington sought to become the seat of the state government. Frankfort remained the capital because of its more central location. It was incorporated as a city in 1839. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Confederate General Braxton Bragg camped in Frankfort briefly (1862) before being expelled by the forces of Union General Don Carlos Buell. The first Boy Scout troop in the United States was organized in Frankfort in 1909. The city suffered heavy flood damage in 1937. Population 25,973 (1980); 25,968 (1990); 26,418 (1998 estimate).
