City of Independence history

The three major thorough fares through the City are Taylor Mill Road (KY 16), Madison Pike (KY 17) and Richardson Road (KY 1829).

The Latter Day Saints purchased this land in 1831.

But the Mormons came into conflict with the local economic and political establishment, and by 1833 the missionaries were driven out.

On April 30, 1840 Campbell County split thus creating Kenton County.

In 1842, the town of Independence, Kentucky was incorporated, encompassing the "block" surrounding the Kenton County Courthouse located on Madison Pike.

The first group of wagon trains to arrive in Independence set out from Missouri in May, 1844, following the Platte River to Fort Laramie and continuing on the Oregon Trail to the city of The Dalles.

At The Dalles, they loaded onto boats, traveled the Columbia River, going around the Cascades, and continued on the Oregon Trail, arriving in Independence in June of 1845.

In 1847, Henry Hill arrived in the area.

The 1859 Jail, Marshal’s Home and Museum once housed the infamous Frank James, brother to outlaw Jesse James.

After the 1861 flood, many residents wanted Hill to plat a new town, immediately to the south of Thorp’s Town of Independence, but on higher, flatter ground.

Cooper came to Oregon in 1863 and became a prominent businessman, first in banking and then in growing hops.

In 1867, Hill platted the 40-acre town site that became known as Henry Hill’s Town of Independence.

Harvey Vaile in 1881, the Vaile Mansion was “the most princely house and the most comfortable home in the entire west.”

Two men staked claims in the area, John Thorp and Henry Hill, and in 1885 their towns of Independence were incorporated.

The J.S. Cooper Building, 206 S. Main St, was built in 1895.

St Patrick's was established in 1908 and the Methodist Church in downtown Independence was purchased with the help of the Catholic Church Extension Society.

The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (1957), housing the former president’s private papers and mementos, has a Thomas Hart Benton mural, Independence and the Opening of the West; Truman’s grave is in the courtyard.

The Auditorium in Independence (completed 1962) is the centrepiece of the world headquarters of the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Exhibits at the National Frontier Trails Center chronicle western migration.

Independence then expanded towards the west, annexing the Beechgrove area in the early to mid 1970's.

In 1981, the city continued westward to the Boone County line, annexing all of the area from Turkeyfoot Road to the railroad over pass on Industrial Road.

The City of Independence formed the Independence Historic District in 1989 to celebrate the community’s heritage.

In 2012, the city opened the Willamette River Trail, a 5K soft surface trail loop that runs from the Riverview Park Amphitheater to the North Riverfront Ballfield Complex and back.