Notable Louisville Neighborhoods: The History of Portland with Tom Owen

Cost: Free to attend; registration required.

Louisville’s Portland neighborhood, located in the upper-left corner of your Jefferson County map; was among the first local areas to become urbanized. Tom Owen’s fast-paced, broad-brush description of the colorful community will emphasize the role of transportation throughout its history, the multiple races and ethnicities that have peopled the place, and Portland’s special independent streak. What’s not to like about a neighborhood that is bounded by the Ohio River on both its northern and western edge?

Dr. Tom Owen has been an archivist at UofL’s Archives and Special Collections for 58 years. In his role as a public historian, he has given hundreds of local history talks, hosted a long-standing public radio feature, led Louisville neighborhood walks and tours, produced commercial and KET videos, and set-up a YouTube channel. Currently he’s working with two former colleagues on a photographic history of UofL women’s basketball. Tom holds degrees from Kentucky Wesleyan College, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, University of Louisville, and the University of Kentucky.