Springfield in Washington County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

In Honor of Louis Sansbury

Hometown Hero

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2018

1. In Honor of Louis Sansbury Marker

Inscription. Louis Sansbury (1806-1861), a black slave, owned by George Sansbury, was left with keys to Sansbury’s hotel to watch over his business. In 1833, left virtually alone with the sick and dying, Sansbury fed and treated the many cholera sufferers – slaves and free citizens – who had been abandoned. He wrapped the dead in sheets and buried them in graves he dug in the Springfield Cemetery. When Louis Sansbury’s owner died, he was emancipated. A grateful city remembered his courage and compassion helping him to purchase and establish a blacksmith shop at Walnut and Main. His courage and compassion continued when, in 1854, another cholera epidemic struck Springfield and Sansbury once again took care of the sick and dying.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1833.

Location. 37° 41.095′ N, 85° 13.297′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Kentucky, in Washington County. It is on East Main Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Springfield

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KY 40069, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s The Knobs.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Was President Lincoln Born Out-Of-Wedlock? (a few steps from this marker); The Lincoln Legacy (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln - Hanks (within shouting distance of this marker); War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Felix Grundy (1777 - 1840) (within shouting distance of this marker); World War I Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); You are in The Holy Land! (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln Homestead (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Springfield.

Also see . . . Sansbury, Louis. (Submitted on August 14, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2018

2. In Honor of Louis Sansbury Marker

Louis Sansbury bench in honor of Louis Sandbury below marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, August 18, 2025

3. Louis Sansbury bench in honor of Louis Sandbury below marker

Plaque attached to the bench:

In honor of Louis Sansbury
(1806-1861) Hometown Hero
Donated by Friends and Family

Credits. This page was last revised on September 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,172 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 14, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 3. submitted on September 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.