Valley View Ferry

Infobox Water transit
name = Valley View Ferry

logo_size =


image_size = 300px
locale =Between Richmond and Nicholasville, Kentucky.
waterway = Kentucky River
transit_type = Cable ferry
began_operation = 1785
ended_operation =
system_length =
lines =
vessels = One
terminals = Two
ridership =
operator = Same as owner
owner = Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Madison and Jessamine Counties

The Valley View Ferry is a crossing on the Kentucky River in rural central Kentucky, located on Kentucky Route 169 between the towns of Richmond and Nicholasville. The ferry's establishment in 1785 predates Kentucky's admission to the Union in 1792 and is widely regarded as the commonwealth's oldest business.cite news | last = Poor | first = Chris | title = The Return of the Valley View Ferry: Oldest Business is Back in Business | publisher = "Lexington Herald-Leader" | date = 1991-07-28 | accessdate = 2008-02-20 ]

John Craig, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, acquired land in the area in 1780 through a military warrant. In 1785, the Virginia General Assembly granted Craig "a perpetual and irrevocable" franchise to operate a ferry. [On-site historical marker, referenced in cite book |title=Roadside History: A Guide to Kentucky Highway Markers|last=Wells |first=Dianne |coauthors=Melba Porter Hay, Thomas H. Appleton|year=2002|publisher=Kentucky Historical Society|location= Frankfort |isbn= 0916968286|pages=149] Daniel Boone, Henry Clay and Ulysses S. Grant have numbered among its passengers.cite news | last = Hammond| first = Claude| title = A Kentucky Ferry Tale| publisher = Lexington Herald-Leader| date = 2004-03-01|accessdate=2008-02-20] The ferry remained a privately-owned business for over 200 years, passing through the hands of seven successive families until 1991, when it was purchased jointly by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Madison and Jessamine Counties for $60,000.

The rudderless ferry is guided only by cables stretching between four 55-foot towers. The current boat, named the "John Craig" after the site's original owner, dates to 1996; the vessel it replaced sustained heavy damage first when it sank under the weight of a heavy snowfall and then as a result of salvage efforts. [cite news |first= Kimberly N|last= Martin |title= Boat Damage Sinks Historic Ferry Service: 2-Month Shutdown Inconveniencing Passengers |publisher= Lexington Herald-Leader|date=1996-01-17
accessdate=2008-02-20] The entire site underwent a major renovation in 1998, when the four towers and their cables were replaced. Two years later, the ferry received a federal grant allowing them to upgrade its barge. The new structure, longer than its predecessor by ten feet, lets the ferry carry three cars instead of two. [cite news |first= Wayne|last= Partridge |title= "Ferry Good News for Commuters: Valley View Gets Federal Grant to Replace Barge|publisher= Lexington Herald-Leader|date= 2000-04-04|accessdate=2008-02-18]

The ferry is a free service funded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. On average it transports 250 cars a day.

The ferry also served as a backdrop for portions of the 1967 George C. Scott film "The Flim-Flam Man".

References

External links

* [http://www.lfucg.com/trafficinfo/ValleyViewFerry.asp Valley View Ferry: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government]