Elizabethtown is a
home rule-class city in
Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, and its
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 ...
. The population was 31,394 at the
2020 census, making it the
ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the
Elizabethtown metropolitan area, which is included in the
Louisville/
Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–
Madison, Kentucky-Indiana
combined statistical area. The Elizabethtown metropolitan area had a population of 125,569 in 2020.
History
Established in 1793, Hardin County was named for Colonel
John Hardin, an Indian fighter who worked with tribes in the local area. In a few years, professional men and tradesmen came to live in the area. In 1793, Colonel
Andrew Hynes had (until then known as the "Severn's Valley Settlement") surveyed and laid off into lots and streets to establish Elizabethtown. Named in honor of his wife, Elizabethtown was legally established in 1797.
Thomas Lincoln helped Samuel Haycraft build a
millrace at Haycraft's mill on Valley Creek. After Lincoln married
Nancy Hanks in 1806, they lived in a log cabin built in Elizabethtown. Their daughter,
Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
, was born there in 1807. Soon after, they moved to the Sinking Spring Farm, where
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
was born in 1809. Thomas Lincoln took his family to
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
in 1816. After his wife died in 1818, he returned to Elizabethtown and married
Sarah Bush Johnston, widowed since 1816. She and her three children accompanied Thomas back to Indiana, where Sarah was stepmother to Thomas' two children.
On March 5, 1850, the Commonwealth of Kentucky granted a charter to the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company authorizing it to raise funds and built a railroad from Louisville to 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 ...
state line in the direction of
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
.
John L. Helm, the grandson of Capt. Thomas Helm, became the president of the railroad in October 1854; he directed construction of the main stem of the rail line through Elizabethtown. The rail line was completed to Elizabethtown in 1858, with the first train arriving on June 15, 1858. The opening of the railroad brought economic growth to Elizabethtown, which became an important trade center along the railroad and a strategic point during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
On December 27, 1862,
Confederate General
John Hunt Morgan and his 3,000-man cavalry attacked Elizabethtown. During the battle, more than 100 cannonballs were fired into the town. Although he successfully captured Elizabethtown, Morgan's chief goal was to disrupt the railroad and northern transportation. He proceeded north along the railroad, burning trestles and destroying sections of the track. After the battle, one cannonball was found lodged in the side of a building on the public square. After the building burned in 1887 and was rebuilt, the cannonball was replaced in the side wall, as close to its original site as possible, where it remains in the present day. It is located in the Joey Lee building, which is located on the historic town square. The building is currently owned and houses the office of attorney Roger T. Rigney, it also features a plaquard noting the cannonball and the history behind it out front.
From 1871 to 1873 during the
Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...
, the
Seventh Cavalry and a battalion of the Fourth Infantry, led by General
George Armstrong Custer, were stationed in Elizabethtown. The military were assigned to suppress the local
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
under the
Enforcement Acts, as their members had been attacking
freedmen and other Republicans. They also broke up illegal distilleries, which began to flourish in the South after the Civil War. General Custer and his wife
Elizabeth lived in a small cottage behind Aunt Beck Hill's boarding house, now known as the Brown-Pusey House.
Brown Pusey House Community Center.jpg, The Brown Pusey House
Samuel B. Thomas House.jpg, The Samuel B. Thomas House
Elizabethtown KY.jpg, A banner remembers John Hunt Morgan's role in the history of Elizabethtown, KY. A Confederate cannonball is embedded in the blue building at left (the ball is visible just below and to the left of the nearest second-story window).
Geography
Elizabethtown is in east-central Hardin County, about south of
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...
.
Interstate 65 passes through the southeast side of the city, leading north-northeast to
Louisville and southwest to
Bowling Green. The
Western Kentucky Parkway starts at
I-65 in Elizabethtown and leads west to
Eddyville. To the east, the
Bluegrass Parkway leads to
Lexington.
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 ...
, Elizabethtown has a total area of , of which is land and (1.77%) is water.
The Elizabethtown–Fort Knox metropolitan area consists of Hardin,
Meade, and
Larue counties, and includes
Radcliff, a city about three-fourths the size of Elizabethtown; the housing areas of the
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...
Military Installation; the unincorporated town of
Rineyville; and other communities such as
Vine Grove,
Glendale,
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
,
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
, and
Upton.
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, Elizabethtown 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.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 28,531 people, 15,711 households, and 9,345 families residing in the city. The population density was 936.6/mi
2 (361.6/km
2). There were 12,664 housing units at an average density of 490.5/mi
2 (189.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 80.4%
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 ...
(78.1%
non-Hispanic), 19.6%
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 ...
, 0.34% Native American or
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
, 2.6%
Asian, 0.18%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.3% from
other races, and 3.4% from
two or more races.
Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.3% of the population.
There were 15,711 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94.
The age distribution was 25.1% under 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
Full economic data for Kentucky locations from the 2010 Census has not yet been released. As of the 2010 Census, median income for a household in the city was $40,720, and the median income for a family was $54,699. Full-time male workers had a median income of $43,406 versus $30,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,627. As of the 2000 Census,
about 8.5% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
In 2000, Kentucky counties
Hardin and
LaRue were defined as the
Elizabethtown, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area by the Bureau of the Census; the name of the region was changed in 2013 to Elizabethtown–Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is part of the
Louisville–Elizabethtown–Bardstown, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area.
Churches
The first
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
settlement west of the
Allegheny Mountains was in Elizabethtown at
Severns Valley Baptist Church, named after the original name of Elizabethtown. Catholics came west from
Nelson County and settled at Colesburg at St. Clare Parish before coming to St. James Parish in Elizabethtown. Lucinda Helm helped bring
United Methodists into Elizabethtown, and they immortalized her in naming the Helm Memorial United Methodist Church, today simply called MUMC. More than 12 denominations are represented by over 100 churches in Elizabethtown.
Culture
The town is regionally referred to as "E-town" (sometimes with an apostrophe in place of the dash). It is one of two larger towns (the other being
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...
) along I-65 between
Louisville and
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. The movie ''
Elizabethtown'' (2005) was named after the town; most of the footage was filmed in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
and
Louisville because Elizabethtown has lost much of its historic architecture in recent years due to commercial development.
Alcohol sales
Elizabethtown is officially classified by the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) as being in a "moist county". Under ABC terminology, "moist" indicates that at least one city within a county has approved packaged alcohol sales. In popular usage, the term "moist" more often refers to the city's former status as allowing by-the-drink sales in restaurants, but not package sales.
Despite the county being a
dry county
In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...
, alcoholic drink sales have long been allowed in restaurants seating at least 100 diners and deriving at least 70% of their total sales from food. Beer, wine and spirits can be purchased at licensed liquor stores, drug stores and grocery outlets, beer can be purchased at most convenience stores . The locals classify this as a "damp" or
"moist" county. In 2011, the residents of Elizabethtown,
Radcliff, and
Vine Grove voted to allow properly licensed businesses to sell package liquor, wine, and beer.
Transportation
The city is served by the
Elizabethtown Regional Airport (EKX), and the Elizabethtown Airport Board was as of 2013 exploring options to bring commercial services to the city.
Education
Elizabethtown Independent Schools
Elizabethtown Independent Schools operates:
*
Elizabethtown High School
* T.K. Stone Middle School
* Morningside Elementary School
* Helmwood Heights Elementary School
* Valley View Educational Center
Hardin County Schools
The
Hardin County Schools (HCS) are another district that encompasses some of the city limits.
Here are the schools located within the city limits:
* Bluegrass Middle School
*
Central Hardin High School[ On this map, Elizabethtown is displayed with a pink background and Radcliff in green. For Central Hardin's location, follow U.S. 62 west of downtown Elizabethtown. For John Hardin High's location, zoom in to the region where the two cities meet.]
* G.C. Burkhead Elementary School
* Heartland Elementary School
* Lincoln Trail Elementary School
* New Highland Elementary School
Although New Highland Elementary, Bluegrass Middle School, and
John Hardin High School have an Elizabethtown mailing address, and some Elizabethtown residents are zoned into those schools, they are actually within the city limits of neighboring
Radcliff.
Similarly, the HCS headquarters is located in Radcliff but served by the Elizabethtown post office. Conversely, Central Hardin High is within the city limits of Elizabethtown but has a mailing address of
Cecilia
Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.
History
The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for g ...
.
Private schools
* Saint James Catholic Regional School
* Gloria Dei Lutheran School
Post-secondary education
Elizabethtown is home to
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, a member of the
Kentucky Community and Technical College System, as well as Empire Beauty School formerly the Hair Design School on Westport Road. Also,
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...
has a regional campus located on post at Fort Knox and in a building that is shared with ECTC in Elizabethtown.
The Elizabethtown Japanese School (エリザベスタウン日本人補習校 ''Erizabesutaun Nihonjin Hoshūkō''), a
weekend Japanese program, holds its classes at the
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.
[補習授業校リスト]
. Consulate General of Japan in Nashville. Retrieved February 15, 2015. "(2)エリザ スタウン日本人補習校 (Elizabethtown Japanese School) 学校所在地 c/o Elizabethtown Community and Technical College 600 College Street Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701"
Public library
Elizabethtown has a
lending library
A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a librar ...
, a branch of the Hardin County Public Library.
Notable people
*
Nathan Adcock,
MLB pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
*
Philip Arnold,
confidence trickster, most famous for the
diamond hoax of 1872
*
Antwain Barbour, professional basketball player and former member of the
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team.
*
Ben M. Bogard, clergyman, founder of the
American Baptist Association, born in Elizabethtown in 1868
*
Mark Bradley, outfielder for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
and
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
from 1981 to 1983
*
John Y. Brown,
31st Governor of Kentucky
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...
and former
Representative of Kentucky's
2nd district (1873–1877) &
5th district (1859–1861)
[Harrison in ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'', pp. 129–130]
*
Chaz Cardigan,
Alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
musician
*
Frank Chelf, United States representative from Kentucky
*
David Dao, doctor, passenger notable for being dragged off
United Airlines Flight 3411
*
Brandon Deaderick, NFL
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
drafted by the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
and currently plays for the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
*
Steve Delabar, MLB
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
*
Greg Downs, award-winning author
*
Daniel Cameron, 51st
Attorney General of Kentucky
*
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby, sister of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
; born in Elizabethtown
*
Benjamin Hardin Helm,
brigadier general,
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
*
John LaRue Helm,
18th and 24th Governor of Kentucky
*
Walter Dee Huddleston,
U.S. Senator from 1973 to 1985
*
Andrew Hynes, founder of Elizabethtown, which he named after his wife
*
Steve Jameson, award-winning painter and children's book illustrator
*
Joshua Jewett, former Representative of the 5th district, (1855–1859)
*
Keen Johnson,
45th Governor of Kentucky
*
Sarah Bush Johnston, second wife of Thomas Lincoln and stepmother to President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
*
Jimmie Lee, member of the
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...
representing District 25
*
Thomas Lincoln, father of President Abraham Lincoln
*
Usher F. Linder,
Illinois Attorney General
*
Danny Lloyd, actor in ''The Shining''
*
Charles B. Middleton, stage and film actor, famous for his role as
Ming the Merciless in the ''
Flash Gordon'' movie serials
*
Daniel Martin Moore, singer-songwriter; born in Elizabethtown
*
Elizabeth Helm Nitchie, educator, expert on lip reading, born in Elizabethtown
*
Dennis Parrett, member of the
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...
representing District 10
*
Kenny Perry
James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 2 ...
, professional
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
golfer
*
Todd Perry, former
NFL offensive guard
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive (military), type of military operation
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative
* Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...
for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
and
Miami Dolphins
*
Steffphon Pettigrew, professional basketball player
*
Kelly Rutherford, television and film actress, famous for her roles on ''
Generations'', ''
Melrose Place'', ''
Gossip Girl'' and ''
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.''
*
Chris Todd,
Auburn Tigers quarterback
Sister cities
Elizabethtown has one
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inte ...
, as designated by
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...
:
:
Koori,
Fukushima, Japan
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities in Hardin County, Kentucky
Cities in Kentucky
County seats in Kentucky
Elizabethtown metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1797