Hopkins County, KY
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Hopkins County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,423. Its county seat is Madisonville. Hopkins County was created December 9, 1806 from Henderson County. It was named for General Samuel Hopkins, an officer in both the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and later a Kentucky legislator and
U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. The Madisonville, Kentucky Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Hopkins County. The topography ranges from flatlands along the broad river valleys of the
Pond River The Pond River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 tributary of the Green River in western Kentucky in the United States.
,
Tradewater River The Tradewater River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in western Kentucky in the United States. It drain ...
, and
Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada *Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
, to hilly and rolling land in the southern and central parts of the county. Coal mines operate in the southern part of Hopkins County and agriculture is a mainstay in the northern part. Major crops are soybeans, corn, and tobacco. Along with coal, resources include oil and natural gas.


History

The earliest inhabitants were prehistoric Native Americans who lived, hunted, and farmed in the region. One of their settlements was a rough stone structure on Fort Ridge, which has since been destroyed by strip mining for coal. Some of the early settlers were Revolutionary War veterans who received land grants for their service from Virginia in the area southwest of the Green River. Among these was
Baron Von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...
, a Prussian officer who had trained
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
's
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
at Valley Forge during the winter of 1776–77. He had received a grant of several thousand acres in the northwest part of the county. According to tradition, Von Steuben was wounded in an Indian attack on his first visit to Kentucky. He then quit-claimed his property. Nevertheless, a salt spring on his grant came to be known as Steuben's Lick. By the 1880s, the community that grew up around the lick was known as
Manitou Manitou (), akin to the Iroquois ''orenda'', is the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American theology. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc. ''Aasha ...
. Roads in the county often followed animal trails that led to salt and mineral springs. The major traces were those which connected the county seat at Madisonville with Henderson to the north, Hopkinsville to the south, and Russellville to the southeast. Numerous other trails led to the mills and ferries on the Pond and Tradewater Rivers and their tributaries. On January 3, 1829, Ashbyburg in the northeastern part of the county was incorporated. Located on the Green River, it thrived as a steamboat landing during the 19th century. Other antebellum communities included
Nebo, Kentucky Nebo is a home rule-class city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 236 as of the 2010 census. History Nebo was established by pioneer and merchant Alfred Townes in 1840. It was named for the Biblical Mount N ...
, northwest of Madisonville, and
Charleston, Kentucky Charleston is an unincorporated community in southwestern Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States. According to legend, it was named for "Free Charles", a former slave, who kept a tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gath ...
, named after "Free Charles," a black freedman who operated a tavern in the southwest part of the county. Hopkins County was divided by the American Civil War. Union supporters joined the 35th Kentucky Infantry (Mounted), a regiment recruited locally in late 1863 by
James M. Shackelford James Murrell Shackelford (July 7, 1827 – September 7, 1907) was a lawyer, judge, and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He has the distinction of having captured Confederate cavalry commander John Hunt Morgan in mid-186 ...
, while in 1862
Adam Rankin Johnson Adam Rankin "Stovepipe" Johnson (February 6, 1834 – October 20, 1922) was an antebellum Western frontiersman and later an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Johnson obtained notoriety leading the Newburgh R ...
had recruited
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
troops for his 10th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment. The courthouse in Madisonville was burned by Kentucky Confederates led by Gen.
Hylan Benton Lyon Hylan Benton Lyon (February 22, 1836 – April 25, 1907) was a career officer in the United States Army until the start of the American Civil War, when he resigned rather than fight against the South. As a Confederate brigadier general, he le ...
on December 17, 1864, as they passed through western Kentucky, since it was being used to house Union soldiers. However, the harsh policies imposed by the occupying Union armies caused much resentment and served to increase the sympathy for the Confederate cause. Because of that, the majority of the white population voted for the Democratic Party well into the 20th century. Farming was the major occupation in Hopkins County for most of the 19th century, with tobacco the leading crop. Around 1837 local blacksmith James Woolfolk found an outcropping of coal on his land.


Post-Civil War

John Bayless Earle, whom the town of
Earlington, Kentucky Earlington is a home rule-class city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 1,413, down from 1,649 at the 2000 census. History Founded in 1870 by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earling ...
was named for, opened the first coal mine in the county in 1869. Mining did not become a major industry until the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
pushed its line southward from Henderson through Madisonville and toward Nashville in 1870. Two years later, the
Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroad The Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroad was a 19th-century railway company in western Kentucky in the United States. It operated from 1867 to 1874, when it was purchased by the Louisville, Paducah and Southwestern Railroad. It later made up part of ...
(now Paducah and Louisville Railway) entered the county from the east. Many new communities were first established as railroad stops, including Crofton, Hanson, Mortons Gap, Nortonville, and White Plains. Dawson Springs, in the southwestern part of the county, began to thrive in the 1880s as a health resort, but its popularity had faded by the time of the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
of the 1930s.


Economy and politics: late 20th century to present

Beginning in 1968, the majority white voters began to favor Republican Party presidential candidates. Since 2000, they have consistently voted for Republican candidates for the presidency (see table below), and increasingly so in local and statewide elections as well. By 1970, Hopkins County was the second-largest producer of coal in the Western Coal Field, after Muhlenberg County, and the third-largest coal producer in the entire state after Muhlenberg and Pike County. In 1971 the county also ranked fifth in Kentucky in oil production. Coal and oil-related businesses were major county employers by 1990. Development of resources was aided by the construction of the north–south Pennyrile Parkway and the east–west Western Kentucky Parkway through the county by the early 1970s. In 1987 farms occupied 41 percent of the land area, with 72 percent of farmland under cultivation.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Webster County (northwest) * McLean County (northeast) * Muhlenberg County (southeast) *
Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...
(south) * Caldwell County (southwest)


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,519 people, 18,820 households, and 13,399 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 20,668 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.02% White, 6.21% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.34%
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 ...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 0.91% 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 18,820 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% 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, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,868, and the median income for a family was $36,794. Males had a median income of $31,400 versus $20,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,382. About 13.60% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.40% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Two public school districts operate in the county. Hopkins County Schools serves most of the county, except for most of the city of Dawson Springs, which is covered by the
Dawson Springs Independent School District Dawson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Dawson (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Dawson (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places Antarctica ...
. The Dawson Springs district operates a single K-12 facility, Dawson Springs Community School. As of July 2017, Hopkins County Schools' adopted a tobacco-free policy that stated that all tobacco products, including alternative nicotine products and vapor products were prohibited for use by anyone, anywhere on district grounds. The ban extends to outdoor events and inside vehicles on district grounds. The policy also applies to community groups that use school facilities and to field trips and any school-sponsored activity.


Elementary schools

* Earlington Elementary * Grapevine Elementary * Hanson Elementary * Jesse Stuart Elementary * Pride Elementary * Southside Elementary * West Broadway Elementary * West Hopkins School * Dawson Springs Community School * Christ The King Elementary


Middle schools

* Browning Springs Middle School * James Madison Middle School * South Hopkins Middle School * West Hopkins School * Dawson Springs Community School


High schools

* Hopkins County Central High School *
Madisonville North Hopkins High School Madisonville North Hopkins High School (MNHHS) located in Madisonville, Kentucky, United States, opened in fall 1968. The school, located on Hanson Road, replaced the old Madisonville High School. Classes had graduated from the Spring Street faci ...
* Dawson Springs Community School *
Grace Baptist Grace Baptist is a name used by various churches and associations, in different parts of the world, who would align with Reformed Baptists, who hold to Calvinistic doctrine, but would consider themselves distinct in their own right. This distinguis ...


Community College

*
Madisonville Community College Madisonville Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Madisonville, Kentucky. It is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). MCC was originally established as a ...


Media

* The Madisonville Messenger, established in 1917, is the daily newspaper (Tues-Sun) and website (the-messenger.com) serving Hopkins, Webster and Muhlenberg counties. * SurfKY News Group, Inc. was established in 2008, this online news service (surfky.com) serves Hopkins County and Western Kentucky.


Communities


Cities

* Dawson Springs * Earlington * Hanson * Madisonville (county seat) * Mortons Gap * Nebo * Nortonville * St. Charles * White Plains


Census-designated place

*
Manitou Manitou (), akin to the Iroquois ''orenda'', is the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American theology. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc. ''Aasha ...


Unincorporated communities

* Anton * Ashbyburg *
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
*
Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
* Coiltown * Dalton * * Ilsley * Richland * Wicks Well


Politics


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hopkins County, Kentucky This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hopkins County, Kentucky. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hopkins County, Kentucky, Hopk ...


References


External links


Hopkins County Schools

Dawson Springs Independent School District

Hopkins County Sheriff's Office

Historical Society of Hopkins County
{{authority control Kentucky counties 1806 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1806