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Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky

The capital of Kentucky is Frankfort, chosen in 1792 and the seat of government since 1793. It beat Lexington, Louisville and other towns largely because a local landowner offered his house, building materials and $3,000 in gold. Frankfort has had four capitols, two of which burned, and with fewer than 30,000 residents it is one of the smallest state capitals.

Verified October 23, 2026 against the Kentucky Historical Society

Choosing a capital

The first Kentucky General Assembly met in Lexington in 1792 while the state decided where its permanent capital should be. On June 20, 1792, the legislature named five commissioners to choose a site. Several towns competed: Lexington, Louisville, Leestown, Petersburg, Delany’s Ferry and Legerwood’s Bend, each offering contributions.

Frankfort, on the Kentucky River, won thanks to an unusually generous offer from a landowner named Andrew Holmes. He pledged his log house as a temporary capitol, along with town lots, building materials, including 1,500 pounds of nails, ten boxes of glass and £50 worth of locks and hinges, and $3,000 in gold. The commissioners recommended Frankfort on December 5, 1792, and the legislature approved it three days later. The General Assembly first met in Frankfort in 1793.

Two capitols lost to fire

Frankfort’s hold on the capital was tested more than once. The first capitol burned in 1813, and the legislature considered moving the capital elsewhere; Frankfort residents raised money for a new building and kept it. The second capitol burned in 1824. The original state seal, made in 1792 by a Lexington silversmith, was lost in one of these fires.

The third capitol, designed by the young architect Gideon Shryock in the Greek Revival style and finished around 1830, served for eight decades. It survives as the Old State Capitol, a museum run by the Kentucky Historical Society.

The present Capitol

By 1900 Kentucky’s government had outgrown Shryock’s building. A 1904 act set aside $1 million for a new Capitol on a site in South Frankfort, money that came largely from a federal repayment for Kentucky’s Civil War expenses. Excavation began in 1905, and the building, designed by the architect Frank Mills Andrews, was dedicated in June 1910 at a total cost of about $1.75 million. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

In August 2025 the Capitol closed to the public for a major renovation, budgeted at about $300 million and expected to last until around 2029.

A small capital

Frankfort had about 28,700 residents in 2025. That makes it one of the smallest state capitals in the country, after Montpelier, Pierre and Augusta, and far smaller than Louisville, with about 642,000, or Lexington, with about 330,000.

Questions about Kentucky's capital

What is the capital of Kentucky?
Frankfort. It was chosen in December 1792 and has been the capital since 1793.
Why is Frankfort the capital and not Louisville or Lexington?
In 1792 commissioners compared offers from several towns, and Frankfort's was the best, thanks mainly to landowner Andrew Holmes, who pledged his log house as a temporary capitol, town lots, building materials and $3,000 in gold.
How many capitols has Frankfort had?
Four. The first two burned, in 1813 and 1824. The third, a Greek Revival building by Gideon Shryock, is now the Old State Capitol museum. The current Capitol was dedicated in 1910.
Can you visit the Kentucky State Capitol?
Not until the end of a major renovation. The building closed to the public in August 2025 for a renovation of about $300 million expected to last until around 2029.

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