The land comprising Cherokee Park was originally part of a 4,000-acre (16 km²) military land grant in 1773 to James Southall and Richard Charlton.

A 43-acre (170,000 m²) portion of the land passed to Judge Joshua Fry Bullitt, who sold it in 1868 to foundry magnate Archibald P. Cochran.
Cochran established an estate there called Fern Cliff, which operated as a museum for a while but has since been demolished.

As the land was located around Beargrass Creek, it was hilly and ill-suited to farming.
Prior to its conversion as a park, the land was used primarily for animal grazing, although much of it was wooded.
By 1893 the land was carved into six estates, including Cochran's (which was sold to the city after his death in 1889).
The other estates belonged to the Bonnycastle 63 acres (250,000 m²), Barret 20 acres (81,000 m²), Morton & Griswold 106 acres (0.43 km²), Alexander 25 acres (100,000 m²) families, respectively.
Those and two small lots under 1-acre (4,000 m²) were bought by 1891.
Additional land from the Longest, Barringer and Belknap families would be added to expand the park to its modern size.
The land comprising Cherokee Park was originally part of a 4,000-acre (16 km²) military land grant in 1773 to James Southall and Richard Charlton.
A 43-acre (170,000 m²) portion of the land passed to Judge Joshua Fry Bullitt, who sold it in 1868 to foundry magnate Archibald P. Cochran. Cochran established an estate there called Fern Cliff, which operated as a museum for a while but has since been demolished.
As the land was located around Beargrass Creek, it was hilly and ill-suited to farming. Prior to its conversion as a park, the land was used primarily for animal grazing, although much of it was wooded. By 1893 the land was carved into six estates, including Cochran's (which was sold to the city after his death in 1889). The other estates belonged to the Bonnycastle 63 acres (250,000 m²), Barret 20 acres (81,000 m²), Morton & Griswold 106 acres (0.43 km²), Alexander 25 acres (100,000 m²) families, respectively. Those and two small lots under 1-acre (4,000 m²) were bought by 1891. Additional land from the Longest, Barringer and Belknap families would be added to expand the park to its modern size.
Cherokee Park