Cumberland County, KY
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Cumberland County is a county located in the Pennyroyal Plateau region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,856. Its county seat is Burkesville. The county was formed in 1798 and named for the
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
, which in turn may have been named after the Duke of Cumberland or the English county of
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
.


History

Cumberland County was created in 1798 from land given by Green County. In 1829, the first commercial oil well in the United States was dug three miles north of Burkesville. It is usually not recognized as a commercial well because the drillers were looking for salt brine, but the oil was bottled and sold. It was the first county in the United States to elect a female sheriff,
Pearl Carter Pace Pearl Carter Pace (January 25, 1896 – January 1970) was elected sheriff in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1938–1941. Early years Pearl Carter was born into a family devoted to public service in Tompkinsville in Monroe County, Kentucky. Her ...
. Burkesville is the first town downstream from
Wolf Creek Dam The Wolf Creek Dam is a multi-purpose dam on the Cumberland River in the western part of Russell County, Kentucky, United States. The dam serves at once four distinct purposes: it generates hydroelectricity; it regulates and limits flooding; it r ...
, so it is considered flood-proof, but there have been concerns about leaks at the dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed repairs in 2013.


Geography

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.8%) is water. Major waterways include the
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
and a small branch of
Dale Hollow Lake The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake a ...
which covers the southern end of the county.


Adjacent counties

* Adair County (north) * Russell County (northeast) *
Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, s ...
(east) * Clay County, Tennessee (south) *
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...
(west) * Metcalfe County (northwest)


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,147 people, 2,976 households, and 2,038 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 3.41% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.04%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race. There were 2,976 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $21,572, and the median income for a family was $28,701. Males had a median income of $21,313 versus $16,548 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,643. About 16.40% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 33.00% of those age 65 or over.


Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Cumberland County, Kentucky were:


Communities


City

* Burkesville (county seat)


Census-designated place

* Marrowbone


Other unincorporated places

* Amandaville * Bakerton * Bow * Dubre * Green Grove * Grider * Judio * Kettle *
Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language **Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc *Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Mo ...
* Peytonsburg * Waterview


Politics

Like all of the heavily Unionist eastern Pennyroyal, a region of largely small farms that did not rely heavily on slavery, Cumberland County provided an exceptionally large number of soldiers for the Union Army during the Civil War. Reflecting that, the county became and has remained overwhelmingly Republican following the end of the
Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
. As of 2012, Cumberland County had the fewest registered Democrats, 844, out of all of Kentucky's counties. The last Democrat to carry Cumberland County at the Presidential level was
Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...
in 1868. And since at least 1896,
Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
in his 1964 landslide is the solitary Democrat to top forty percent of the county's vote. Cumberland County was a
dry county A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across the ...
prior to a special election held June 28, 2016, where the measure passed 1,441 votes to 1,069 votes.


Notable people

*
William M. Branham William Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come ...
, American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post–World War II healing revival. * Cumberland County was the birthplace of Joel Cheek who later made Maxwell House coffee. *
Edwin L. Norris Edwin Lee Norris (August 15, 1865 – April 25, 1924) was a Democratic politician from Montana. He served as the fifth Governor of Montana. Biography Norris was born in Cumberland County, Kentucky in 1865, and graduated from the Southern Norm ...
, fifth Governor of Montana * David L. Williams, judge of the Kentucky 40th Circuit Court, former President of the Kentucky Senate, 1992 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and the 2011 Republican gubernatorial nominee


See also

* Morgan's Raid *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Kentucky This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Kentucky. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United Stat ...
*
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
*
Dale Hollow Lake The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake a ...


References


External links


The Kentucky Highlands Project

Cumberland County Public Library

Wolf Creek Dam
{{authority control 1798 establishments in Kentucky Kentucky counties Populated places established in 1798 Counties of Appalachia