Mercer County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the central part of the
U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the
2020 census, the population was 23,772.
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 ...
is
Harrodsburg.
The county was formed from
Lincoln County, Virginia in 1785 and is named for
Revolutionary War General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer (January 16, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Pri ...
, who was killed at the
Battle of Princeton in 1777. It was formerly a prohibition or
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 ...
.
History
Harrodsburg was the first city formally chartered in
Kentucky County, the Virginia district that later became the
15th state. It was originally the county seat of Lincoln County when it was formed in 1780, but it became the seat of Mercer County when it was created.
Pleasant Hill, also known as
Shakertown, is the site of a former
Shaker community, active especially in the years before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. It is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
District, consisting of more than 30 historic buildings. The district also includes acres of farm and parkland.
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 ...
, the county was divided in sentiment.
Union control permitted the organization 2 Union regiments, the
19th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry and the
11th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry. However, many county men also served in the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...
. The 19th Kentucky Infantry (Union) was organized at Camp Harwood for a three-year enlistment commencing January 2, 1862, commanded
Col.
William J. Landram. Companies A, C, D, and F of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry (Union) were organized at Harrodsburg in July 1862. The remainder of the regiment was organized in Louisville, Kentucky, and mustered in for three years on September 26, 1862, under the Colonel Alexander W. Holeman. Following the
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the Ame ...
, much of Harrodsburg and surrounding towns were converted into makeshift hospitals; 1600 sick and wounded Confederate soldiers were captured during a raid in Harrodsburg by the
9th Kentucky Cavalry on October 10, 1862. The city then remained under martial law for the remainder of the war.
The
Louisville Southern Railroad reached Harrodsburg in 1888. Louisville Southern Railway's construction commenced in 1884 and ran from Louisville through Shelbyville and Lawrenceburg to Harrodsburg, which was reached in 1888. The rail yard and station were located at the corner of Office Street and Merimon Avenue. A spur was later constructed from the station to Burgin, where the Louisville Southern joined the
Cincinnati Southern's
Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway CNO&TP mainline which runs through the eastern part of the country from
High Bridge of Kentucky to Burgin to Danville was opened in 1877. Now all run and operated by
Norfolk Southern Railway.
Company D of the
192nd Tank Battalion, which took part in the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Battle of Bataan was from Harrodsburg.
Geography
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 ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.8%) is water.
Mercer County is located in central Kentucky in the
Bluegrass region.
Adjacent counties
*
Anderson County (north)
*
Woodford County (northeast)
*
Jessamine County (east)
*
Garrard County (southeast)
*
Boyle County (south)
*
Washington County (west)
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 20,817 people, 8,423 households, and 6,039 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 9,289 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.00%
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 ...
, 3.69%
Black or African American, 0.21%
Native American, 0.47%
Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.63% from
other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population were
Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 8,423 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% 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, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.93.
By age, 24.40% of the population was under 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
35,555, and the median income for a family was $43,121. Males had a median income of $33,657 versus $22,418 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 county was $17,972. About 10.00% of families and 12.90% 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 17.40% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Ralph G. Anderson, founder Belcan Corporation, philanthropist
*
Jacqueline Coleman, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (2019- )
*
Maria Thompson Daviess (1872–1924), author
*
Jason Dunn, National Football League player
*
David Winfield Huddleston, Christian author and minister
*
Rachel Jackson, wife of President Andrew Jackson
*
Frances Wisebart Jacobs, philanthropist
*
Ann O'Delia Diss Debar, late 19th and early 20th century medium and criminal.
*
Dennis Johnson, National Football League player
*
William Logan, politician
*
Beriah Magoffin,
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 ...
(1859 − 1862) and namesake of
Magoffin County, Kentucky
*
William Sullivan, politician and lawyer
*
John Burton Thompson, politician
*
Al Wilson, actor and stunt pilot
*
Craig Yeast, National Football League player
Politics
Local government
Elected officials
Local attractions
*
Old Fort Harrod State Park, features a reconstruction of Fort Harrod, the first permanent settlement in the state of Kentucky.
*
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a
living history museum.
*
Herrington Lake
Communities
Cities
*
Burgin
*
Harrodsburg
Census-designated place
*
Salvisa
Unincorporated communities
*
Bondville
*
Bushtown (east)
*
Bushtown (west)
*
Cornishville
*
Duncan
*
Ebenezer
*
Mayo
*
McAfee
McAfee Corp. ( ), formerly known as McAfee Associates, Inc. from 1987 to 1997 and 2004 to 2014, Network Associates Inc. from 1997 to 2004, and Intel Security Group from 2014 to 2017, is an American proprietary software company focused on online ...
*
Pleasant Hill
*
Talmage
Ghost town
*
Hilltop
Education
School districts include:
[ ]
Text list
- For more detailed boundaries of the independent school districts see:
*
Burgin Independent School District
*
Mercer County Schools
Notable residents
*
John Adair
John Adair (January 9, 1757 – May 19, 1840) was an American pioneer, slave trader, soldier, and politician. He was the List of Governors of Kentucky, eighth Governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the United States House of Re ...
, member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
and
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
, also governor of Kentucky
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, Kentucky
References
External links
Mercer County web site
{{Coord, 37.80, -84.88, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990
Kentucky counties
1785 establishments in Virginia
Populated places established in 1785
Former counties of Virginia