Bloomfield is a
home rule–class city in
Nelson County,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, in the United States. The population was 838 during the
2010 U.S. census. Former names of the city included Middlesburg and Gandertown.
History
The community on the east fork of Simpson Creek originally grew up on sites purchased from Leven Powell's land grant, which he received from the state of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
in 1779 and surveyed in 1781.
[ The community on the east bank of the creek was known as ''Middlesburg'' when its first post office opened in 1803;][ the west bank was known as ''Gandertown'' from its sport of " ganderpulling". Dr. John Bemiss of ]Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
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*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
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, New York
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* '' ...
, had settled in the area in 1799;[ in 1817, he laid out the town and renamed it ''Bloomfield'', supposedly after his wife's maiden name (Bloomer) and his daughter's married name (Merrifield). The post office adopted this name the next year,][Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'']
p. 23
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 8 October 2013. but, according to the state's Land Office, the town was still formally incorporated under the name Middlesburg in 1819.[
Bloomfield's economy has always been agriculturally based, but there was a flour mill and a tobacco auction house in the 19th century. The Newell B. McClaskey House and ]plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...
was built in 1835, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.[ (with )] The McClaskey family had owned over 700 acres of land in the area at one time.
The public library was established in 1916 by the local Woman's Club.
Geography
Bloomfield is located at (37.914332, -85.319232) on the East Fork of Simpson Creek (part of the Salt River watershed). It is concentrated around the intersection of US 62
U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Canada ...
, KY 55 and KY 48, northeast of Bardstown
Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County.
Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...
, and about southeast of Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.78% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 838 people, 334 households, and 230 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 384 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.3% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
(88.1% non-Hispanic), 8.6% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.48% Asian, 0.72% from other races
Other often refers to:
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Other or The Other may also refer to:
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* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
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, and 0.95% from two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.0% of the population. No one in the city identified exclusively as a Native American or Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
.
There were 334 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 27.2% under 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,938, and the median income for a family was $51,528. Full-time male workers had a median income of $46,944 versus $26,510 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $20,279. About 18.1% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
There are two public schools, Bloomfield Elementary School and Bloomfield Middle School; there are two schools now closed: the former Bloomfield High School and Eli H Brown Elementary school, both now privately owned. Eli Brown was a black-only school during segregation.
Bloomfield has a lending library
A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a library ...
, a branch of the Nelson County Public Library.
Notable residents
* Jereboam Beauchamp and wife Anna, buried in the same coffin at their request. In 1825, Beauchamp murdered Col. Solomon Sharp in Frankfort after his (alleged) seduction of Anna. When he was remanded to the Frankfort jail, Anna refused to be separated from him even by force. On the day he were sentenced to hang, they attempted suicide by stabbing: Anna died from her wound but Beauchamp lived to be hanged, Kentucky's first legal lynching. The pair's devotion inspired popular treatment of their story, including ''Politian
Agnolo (Angelo) Ambrogini (14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known by his nickname Poliziano (; anglicized as Politian; Latin: '' Politianus''), was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scho ...
'' by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
.[City of Bloomfield.]
History of the City of Bloomfield, Kentucky
.
2013. Accessed 8 October 2013.
* Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction.
His films include '' Flashdance'', ''Top Gun'', '' The Rock'', '' ...
, film and television producer, maintains a second home nearby; his wife, Linda Bruckheimer
Linda Sue Bruckheimer (née Cobb) is an American editor, novelist, and philanthropist. She is the author of two best-selling novels. She has restored many buildings in Bloomfield, Kentucky.
Early life
Bruckheimer was born in Texas and grew up ...
, owns several historic buildings downtown
* James Guthrie, state representative, Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
, senator, & president of the L&N Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
* Stith Thompson, American folklore scholar
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Nelson County, Kentucky
References
External links
*
*
Bloomfield Historic District
- National Register of Historic Places inventory form
{{authority control
Cities in Kentucky
Cities in Nelson County, Kentucky
Louisville metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1819
1819 establishments in Kentucky