Bardwell is a home rule-class city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Carlisle County,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, United States. The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1878. The population was 714 at the 2020 census, down from 723 in 2010. Bardwell is included in the Paducah, KY-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Bardwell Illinois Central station postcard

Bardwell was founded in 1874 when a predecessor rail line of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

was extended to that point. It may have initially been known as "Crittenden" after Governor John J. Crittenden, but that name was already in use elsewhere in the state, so the name was changed to "Bardwell." According to some sources, "Bardwell" was the name of a railroad superintendent whose name had been applied to a railroad construction camp near the town site. Other sources suggest the name was inspired by a "boarded well" at the camp. During their session of 1877–1878, the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

passed an act incorporating Bardwell. The original municipal boundaries consisted of a circle with a radius of , centered on the local train station for the

. Upon the creation of Carlisle County in 1886, the nearby city of Arlington was initially named the seat of the new county. Bardwell challenged this decision, however, and due to Bardwell's more central location, county officials agreed, and moved the seat to Bardwell.

Geography

Bardwell is located northwest of the center of Carlisle County at (36.872690, -89.010026). U.S. Routes 51 and 62 intersect in the northern part of the city. US 51 leads south to Fulton on the

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

line, while US 62 leads northeast to Paducah on the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. The two highways together lead northwest to Wickliffe on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Bardwell has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 799 people, 367 households, and 229 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 425 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.62%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.00%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.63% Native American, 0.63% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population is

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 367 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.75. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,406, and the median income for a family was $25,500. Males had a median income of $24,028 versus $16,618 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,976. About 19.7% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Clyde Ehrhardt,

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

* Thomas L. Glenn, congressman from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

who served a single term as a

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

* Donald Frank Hendrix (November 19, 1959 – November 15, 2020), outstanding pianist and organist who played for 5 governors, David Letterman, at the Miss America and Miss Kentucky pageants, and at First Christian Church, Murray, KY. He lost his life during the COVID-19 pandemic. * Roy Mahlon Shelbourne, U.S. federal judge born in Bardwell, who also practiced law here for 14 years *

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail business woman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety ...

, actress of musical theatre, film, and television, born in Bardwell * M. K. Turk,

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach and player at Livingston University (Alabama), Copiah-Lincoln Junior College (Mississippi) and the University of Southern Mississippi

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bardwell has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Paris, Missouri
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References

{{authority control Cities in Carlisle County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Cities in Kentucky