Kentucky became the fifteenth state in 1792. Six years later, Livingston County became the twenty-sixth county of the state. Livingston County was created from part of Christian County. The county’s unique geographical position, bordered by the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers, ensured that it would have many future connections to the steamboat world.

The twenty-sixth county in order of formation, Livingston County, was created on December 13, 1798, from a section of Christian County. It was named for Robert R. Livingston, who helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and was minister to France, where he assisted in arranging the Louisiana Purchase. Smithland, the county seat of Livingston, is named for John Smith and was settled in the late 1700’s. The settlement slowly grew and became a stopping point for boats transferring passengers and produce. In its early days, the town had a reputation of being a lusty, bawling river town, full of unsavory characters. Soon however lots were bought by people of a much different and better character who built homes and established businesses including Inns and Taverns, some of which are reputed to have had tunnels used by escaping slaves.

It was after Robert Livingston had been honored by Kentucky that he met steamboat innovator Robert Fulton. Livingston quickly became intrigued with the potential of steam-powered water travel. However, it was Fulton and Livingston’s steamboat, the “New Orleans,” that made the inaugural trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1811. That voyage forever changed the way people and products were transported. Unfortunately, Robert Livingston died less than two years after this trailblazing voyage. Livingston County steamboat ports, including the county seat, Smithland, located at the confluence of the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers, served as exchange centers where raw materials like iron and quarried limestone went off to distant markets. Crops and finished industrial goods from upriver at Nashville, Tennessee, went to places like Louisville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. Others went to Memphis, Natchez, and New Orleans.

In the time since the steamboat the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers have been dammed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Today, these waterways still serve as vital commercial links and as recreational outlets.