First called Liberty, Westport was located on a 1780 grant to Elijah Craig. A ferry operated here by Levi Boyer as early as 1800 formed a link in the route to the Illinois country. The town became a port to the west, Westport. In the steamboat era, it was a thriving port for shipping farm produce and receiving merchandise. It was the first county seat of Oldham from 1823 to 1838, except for nine months in 1827.