Earlier this year, Louisville Metro’s Office of Arts + Creative Industries announced a plan to paint a mural on a section of floodwall in the Portland neighborhood. One local artist will be selected to paint the 6,000-square-foot mural. With the city set to choose an artist for the project soon, we’re sharing what some Kentuckiana residents told us they want to see in the design.
The Louisville riverboats
Out of the 34 people who responded to the survey, about 41% said they want to see the Belle of Louisville and Mary M. Miller pictured in the floodwall mural’s design.
The Belle of Louisville and Mary M. Miller are the two steamboats that take locals and out-of-town visitors down the Ohio River for tours of some historical landmarks along Louisville and Southern Indiana’s waterfronts.
The Belle has been sailing the Ohio for 109 years. It operates with the original technology and engine, according to its website. Officials estimate the engine inside the riverboat was built in the late 19th Century.
The Belle — originally named the Idlewild — served as a ferry boat between Tennessee and Arkansas. From the 1930s until the 1960s, the steamboat traveled throughout Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, and the U.S. until it was purchased by a Jefferson County judge.
Now named a National Historic Landmark, the Belle of Louisville has been a part of the city’s waterfront for the last 62 years.
Some locals, like Middletown resident LuAnn Hayes, said the 10th Street Floodwall should honor The Belle.
“I am proud to serve as a volunteer on this iconic riverboat,” Hayes said in her response to the survey. “Guests from all over the country and world delight in their cruise experience on this historic symbol of Louisville's past. The floodwall mural would be the perfect place to honor this grand, old lady!”
Louisville’s second-oldest steamboat — the Mary M. Miller — is named after the first female licensed steamboat captain in the U.S., who earned that designation in 1884.
This followed immense pushback from the Steamboat Inspection Service, now named the Bureau of Navigation.
An homage to Louisville’s French history
France’s influence is embedded in Louisville’s history, including the city’s namesake King Louis XVI. About 15% of residents who answered the survey want the 10th Street floodwall to reflect that connection.
“Some sort of French Quarter type thing with little balconies, and flowering vines would look neat,” said former Portland resident Heather Harmon.
Other Louisvillians wanted the floodwall to capture some of the city's historical moments, like when Revolutionary War general and Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Louisville in 1825. Lafayette stopped in Louisville on a tour of the 24 states at the time, celebrating the nascent country’s 50th anniversary. He also traveled to other cities in the commonwealth, such as Frankfort and Shelbyville.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the Belle of Louisville's engine is believed to have been built in the late 19th.
