The City of Graymoor-Devondale
City Offices
1500 Lynn Way
Louisville, KY 40222
502/ 429-0834
FAX: 502/ 425-5721
John Vaughan
1508 Valley Brook Road
426-9561
*City Council Members may be reached by leaving a message for them on the city telephone, 429-0834.
Email us
graymoor-devondale@insightbb.com
John Herr was among the first early settlers who came to this part of the country. He was a young man without any money. Eventually he amassed a considerable fortune. By the time he died, he owned about 1,000 acres of land in Kentucky along the Ohio River. Much of it is now the City of Graymoor-Devondale.
In 1817, Dabney Terrell conveyed 194 acres to John Herr in the eastern part of what is now Windy Hills. On Sept. 8, 1821, Terrell signed another deed with Herr. A large part of John Herr’s acreage lay to the east, between what is now Herr Lane and Ormsby Lane. This property later became famous under his son, Albert Herr, and was known as the Magnolia Stock Farm.
On April 3, 1852, John Herr died at age 82. He is buried in the family cemetery a short distance from front of his home, which is located at Boxwood Road and Lynn Way. (See photo on page 2.)
John Herr’s other children lived in today’s Graymoor-Devondale area. John, Jr., became a member of the Kentucky legislature and a magistrate of his precinct for 40 years. He died in 1863 at age 65 and is buried in the family cemetery. Brother Frederick was set up in a similar plantation across what is now Herr Lane.
On April 22, 1891, a tragedy befell the family. Relatives were invited to the Snooks-Herr wedding at the Magnolia Stock Farm. At the reception, chicken salad was served — and 26 persons, including the bridegroom, died from food poisoning. Some are buried in the family’s cemetery.
Many thanks to Liz Given, who provided notes from Sally Sherwood Keith’s “Windy Hills: A Neighborhood History,” 1972.
If you have a question ... or a complaint... or want to leave a message for any city official, please call 429-0834 and the Graymoor-Devondale City Clerk will contact the appropriate person. The City Clerk may answer this phone during office hours ... otherwise, you can leave a message on the answering machine. We will handle your message as soon as we can.
If you want to conduct city business, office hours at 1500 Lynn Way are from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. If Nancy Perito, the City Clerk, is out of the office on an errand or on the phone, you can leave a message on the answering machine. We’ll respond as soon as we can.