Falmouth, Kentucky

Falmouth is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Pendleton County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 2,169 according to the 2010 census. It lies at the confluence of the South and Main forks of the Licking River and is home to Kincaid Regional Theatre.

Geography

Falmouth is located at (38.673860, -84.334213).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

History

Possibly settled as early as 1780, Falmouth was laid out by John Waller (1758–1823) and formally established by the state assembly in 1793. Waller named the new settlement after his native Falmouth, Virginia. It was incorporated as a city in 1856.

The town is perhaps best remembered for natural disasters that have devastated the town over the last half of the 20th century. In 1964, the Licking River reached 47 feet (19 feet above flood stage) and left much of the town under water. On April 23, 1968 an F4 (possibly F5) tornado leveled many homes in the town, killing four people. On March 2, 1997, a major flood on the Licking River again left the town crippled. The river reached 52 feet (24 feet above flood stage) and left 80% of the town under several feet of water. Many homes and businesses were damaged and five residents were killed.

Charity's House and Elzey Hughes House were both part of the historically African-American "Happy Hollow" neighborhood and each is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Arts and culture

Kincaid Regional Theatre, also referred to as KRT, has called Falmouth home since 1983. Since the theatre's founding, KRT has achieved musical theatre excellence by employing local talent from the Cincinnati metropolitan area and beyond. With the help of many supporters, KRT continues to enhance the arts in the community with children and teens theatre workshops and through involvement with local schools. Originally operated at the former Falmouth High School. Other venues have included the Griffin Centre Amphitheatre. KRT now performs at Stonewood Gardens, also in Falmouth.

Falmouth plays host to one of Kentucky's largest fall events, the Kentucky Wool Festival. The Wool Festival is an annual event held adjacent to Kincaid Lake State Park during the first full weekend of October. The festival promotes wool products, crafts, food, among other products. The festival provides fundraising activities to local organizations and entertainment for all age groups. Heritage demonstrations and livestock exhibitions also highlight Pendleton County and Kentucky history. The Kentucky Wool Festival has inspired the local community to adopt the sheep as its unofficial mascot.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,058 people, 849 households, and 521 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 1.90% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 849 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,114, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $31,012 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,634. About 16.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Falmouth has a lending library, the Pendleton County Public Library.

Notable people

* Beth Broderick, actress on ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch''
* J. M. Lelen was pastor of St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Falmouth for many years in the first half of the 20th century.
* Phillip Allen Sharp, who earned the Nobel Prize for work that fundamentally changed scientists' understanding of the structure of genes, is a native of Falmouth.
*Samuel Thomas Hauser, born in Falmouth, Kentucky on 10 Jan 1833, was the first resident to become territorial governor of Montana and the seventh territorial governor to that date. He engaged in mining, banking, and hydroelectric power. Hauser was on two expeditions to map out what is now known as Yellowstone National Park.
* John Merritt is still on record as one of college football's winningest coaches. He coached at Jackson State University from 1953 to 1962 and then at Tennessee State from 1962 through the remainder of his coaching career.

References

External links

*

Pendleton County Views
nbsp;– Falmouth historical images and documents, from Northern Kentucky Views

Flood of '97
nbsp;– special coverage from ''The Cincinnati Enquirer''

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Cities in Kentucky
Cities in Pendleton County, Kentucky
County seats in Kentucky
1793 establishments in Kentucky