Just Askin': Who is the Barret family? Why a school, roads are named after them
A Louisville middle school, a street in the Highlands and a road within Cherokee Park originate from the same name — Barret.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, members of Louisville's Barret family held several public offices, led various civic organizations and even helped a certain sport's popularity grow in the city.
Here are a few things to know about the Barret family:
Who is Barret Middle School named after?
The school in the Crescent Hill neighborhood is named after Alex G. Barret, a judge who was also a member of the Louisville Board of Education, according to a 1935 photograph preserved by the University of Louisville. Prior to serving as a justice on the Jefferson Circuit Court, Barret directed what would later become Norton Children's Hospital. He was also president of the Louisville Health Council and the Louisville Board of Education, according to a 1931 obituary published in The Courier Journal.
Barret attended Harvard University, where he received a bachelor's degree at just 18 years old.
Who is Barret Avenue named after?
Newspaper articles and books about street names in Louisville do not point to a clear answer. It seems possible the name "Barret Avenue" could be traced back to one of Alex Barret's ancestors. Archives from The Courier Journal mention a "Barret Avenue" as early as 1877. Underhill Street, between Baxter Avenue and Broadway, was renamed Barret Avenue in February 1923.
Coincidentally, Alex Barret's father, Henry Wood Barret, a former president of the Bank of Kentucky, died a month earlier. According to his 1923 obituary in The Courier Journal, he belonged to three country clubs and "was one of the first men to introduce golf in Louisville."
Hannah Costelle, a research specialist for the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, said it is possible there have been other streets named Barret Avenue. Those streets may have had their names changed or they may have been replaced when new road systems were created.
Who is the namesake for Barret Hill Road in Cherokee Park?
Like Barret Avenue, the origin of Barret Hill Road is a bit of a mystery.
Henry Barret's brother, Hugh Lewis Barret, could be the namesake of Barret Hill Road, as he once lived near where the road is today, Costelle said. A Courier Journal entry from Oct. 11, 1905, announced Hugh Barret and his wife moved from St. Matthews into a home on Cherokee Road.
However, an earlier reference to a "Barret Hill" in Cherokee Park was made in The Courier Journal in 1899, when the Board of Park Commissioners announced local businessman Morris Burke Belknap had offered to fund the construction of a bridge with one end on the south side of Barret Hill.
More: Just Askin': Who are the namesakes of I-264, 265? What to know about Watterson, Snyder
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@courierjournal.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville's Barret family: Why a school, roads are named after them
