U.S. Route 41 (US 41) in the state of

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 ...

is a north-south

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

that mainly goes through the western part of the state. It enters Kentucky in the Todd County community of Guthrie, and leaves the state north of

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

into

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

as well as the city of

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

. The total length of US 41 through Kentucky is a total of .

Route description

US 41 enters the state in Guthrie, Kentucky, and begins northwest to traverse the towns of Trenton and Pembroke before reaching

Hopkinsville Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 b ...

. US 41 turns northward from downtown Hopkinsville to Crofton, Nortonville, Mortons Gap, Earlington and Madisonville, in Hopkins County. US 41 then continues into eastern

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

before reaching the city of

. It enters

and the city of

north of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

in the one area of Henderson County where the Ohio River is separate from the state line. Notable sites of interest along US 41 in Kentucky include: *

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the liter ...

Birthplace Museum, Guthrie *

Trail of Tears Park A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

, Hopkinsville *

Ellis Park Race Course Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentuc ...

, Henderson *

John James Audubon State Park John James Audubon State Park is located on U. S. Route 41 in Henderson, Kentucky, just south of the Ohio River. Its inspiration is John James Audubon, the ornithologist, naturalist, painter, and slaveowner who resided in Henderson from 1810 t ...

, Henderson

History

Between 1926 and 1930, US 41 followed a more westerly route between Hopkinsville and

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, following the current US 41 Alt., while the current US 41 alignment was US 241. From 1930 into the early 1940s, the current alignment of US 41 was signed as US 41E, and the US 41W designation was on the current alignment of US 41 Alt. south of Hopkinsville. In 1943, the western route became US 41 Alt., while US 41E became the current alignment of US 41. In Hopkins County, US 41 previously followed the

Pennyrile Parkway The Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway was the designation for the controlled-access highway from Henderson to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The parkway originally began at an interchange with the Audubon Parkway and US 41 near the city of Henderso ...

(much of which is now part of I-169 and I-69) between exits 30 and 45 until the early 1990s, when it was rerouted onto the former US 41 Alt. alignment from Madisonville to just south of Nortonville. This was the only area of the Pennyrile Parkway where tolls were never charged when the parkway was originally a toll road. Near Henderson, US 41 was rerouted onto the few remaining miles of the Pennyrile Parkway up to its northern terminus in the 2010s before I-69 was designated onto most of the parkway to Nortonville.

Major intersections

Related routes

References

External links

US 41 at KentuckyRoads.com
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