DOUGLASS LOOP HISTORY

Louisville’s first electric rail cars began operating in 1889.  Originally, Bardstown Road terminated closer to town.  In 1912, the Louisville Railway Company extended the city line to Douglass Blvd.  The streetcars ran along Bardstown Road south to Douglass then looped around Dundee Road and Harvard Drive for a return trip downtown.  This turnaround became known as the Dundee Loop.

Expansion of the city trolley line was a primary factor in transforming the Douglass Blvd. area from an agricultural zone to a residential and commercial area.  Many residents took the pleasures of country living, commuting to the city on the electric cars.  Two interurban lines extended from Douglass Loop, connecting commuters from Fern creek and Jeffersontown.