Jefferson Memorial Forest
park in Kentucky, United States of America
Jefferson Memorial Forest is a forest located in southwest Louisville, Kentucky, in the Knobs region of Kentucky. At 6,676 acres (27.02 km2), it is one of the largest municipal urban forests in the United States.
The forest was established as a tribute to area war dead but ultimately this was extended to all U.S. veterans. It is managed by Louisville Metro Parks. In 1975, the forest was designated a National Audubon Society Wildlife Refuge. Large portions of the forest are protected as nature preserves or under conservation easements, including swaths of mature woodlands.
History
In August 1945, Jefferson County, Kentucky, commenced the effort to establish a forest preserve in the southwestern part of the county. Dedicated October 10, 1948, Jefferson County Memorial Forest was named as a memorial to the area's World War II dead. Since then, the forest has been redesignated to remember all who served in the armed forces.
The original land purchases were guided by Paul Yost, who was appointed as the county forester.
“Jefferson Memorial Forest” enters the record as park in Kentucky, United States of America. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Jefferson, Memorial and Forest can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Jefferson Memorial Forest” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Jefferson, Memorial and Forest provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3176652. Authority coordinates are 38.064, -85.806. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1975, 1945 and 1948.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jefferson Memorial Forest”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Jefferson Memorial Forest” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.