St. Mary is a home rule-class city in Marion 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 to ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office.
St. Mary, Kentucky
. Accessed October 4, 2013. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 138.

History

The town was first known as Hardin's Creek when it was settled by the Hardin family .

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

settlers from "Saint" Charles Co.,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, arrived in 1790. Their community was originally known as Saint Charles after their former home and new church.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
p. 261
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed October 4, 2013. The first Catholic settlers of the Hardin's Creek settlement were the brothers Edward Beaven and Charles Beaven from Maryland in 1786, followed by the brothers Mathew, Zachariah, Sylvester, and Jeremiah Cissell. The community was the birthplace and hometown of George Elder, who along with William Byrne later returned from seminary in Maryland to found Saint Mary's College in 1821. The post office was established in 1858 as Saint Mary's for the school. The city was incorporated as St. Mary on May 26, 1865. The college closed its doors in 1976. The city includes historical markers honoring the Sisters of Loretto and St. Mary's College.

Geography

St. Mary is located on Kentucky Route 84 at (37.580711, -85.346291), west of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. According to the

U.S. 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 the ...

, the city of St. Mary has an area of , of which , or 0.89%, are water.

Demographics

Economy

Since 1980, St. Mary has been home to the 826-bed Marion Adjustment Center, a CCA-owned minimum- and

medium-security A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

facility.Kentucky Department of Corrections.
About MAC
. Accessed October 4, 2013.Corrections Corporation of America. Press Release:

. Op. cit. in ''Wall Street Journal'', June 26, 2013. Accessed October 4, 2013. In June 2013, the

Kentucky Department of Corrections The Kentucky Department of Corrections is a state agency of the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet that operates state-owned adult correctional facilities and provides oversight for and sets standards for county jails. They also provide trai ...

elected not to renew the contract. At the time, the MAC employed 166 people.Lega, Stephen. ''Kentucky Standard'', July 3, 2013.
Marion Adjustment Center's closing will impact community in many ways
. Accessed October 4, 2013.

Notes

References

{{authority control Cities in Marion County, Kentucky Census county divisions Cities in Kentucky