Complex sentence: The ferry remained a privately-owned business for over 200 years, passing through the hands of seven successive families until 1991, when it was purchased jointly by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Madison and Jessamine Counties for $60,000.
Split into simpler sentences: The ferry remained a privately owned business for more than 200 years, passing through the hands of seven successive families until 1991. It was then purchased jointly by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Madison and Jessamine counties for $60,000.