The Russellville Historic District in

Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was firs ...

, is in south central

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 to ...

. Among Kentuckian municipalities in its size range it has the largest historic district, comprising fifty separate city blocks. Another distinction is that the district is centered on the commercial corridor, instead of the county

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

, unlike most

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

s in Kentucky. Much of the district is formed of buildings for the late 18th to 19th centuries, with the more prominent ones built between 1800 and 1830, including the homes of four Kentucky governors. Most of the modern structures in the district were designed so as to blend in with older buildings. The wealthier citizens of the district historically lived in the southwestern corner. Northwest of the district's cemetery is where Irish immigrants who worked on the local

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s lived. The district also features several excellent structures of Victorian architecture, whose atypical-for-Kentucky partial mansard roofs indicate a construction date after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. There is significant history in the district. It was here in the William Forst House that the

Confederate government of Kentucky The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the electe ...

was formed, commemorated by the Confederate Monument in Russellville. It is also the site of the first documented bank robbery by

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

, which occurred in 1868, of the Nimrod Long Banking Company, totalling $9,000. Future United States President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

fought a duel in the district. Russellville was known as a "rogue's harbor", as many of its early settlers moved there due to being wanted by the law in other areas, or simply needed a fresh start. The first house in the district was built in 1790, but it no longer stands.Cronan Sec.8, p.6

References

{{reflist National Register of Historic Places in Logan County, Kentucky Geography of Logan County, Kentucky Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Russellville, Kentucky