Russellville is a home rule-class city in

Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan 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 ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census.

History

Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was first settled by Gasper Butcher, as a frontier settlement of the Transylvania Colony of Virginia, around 1780, but others have questioned this claim. Although the area is known to have been called "Big Boiling Spring", "Gasper Butcher's Spring", and "Butcher's Station", W.R. Jillson was unable to find written records of any habitation before 1790. That year William Cook and his wife erected Cook's Cabin, accompanied by eighteen-year-old William Stewart.''The Kentucky Encyclopedia''
p. 790
"Russellville". University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1992. Accessed 4 October 2013. Also known as "Cook's Station", the community was located about east of the present city. It was renamed "Logan Court House" when it was chosen as the

of newly formed

in 1792. General William Russell was given a grant here for his military service during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. He donated part of this property, in 1795, as a platted section for the county seat, known as Logan Court House. The town was renamed in Russell's honor in 1798.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
p. 259
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed October 4, 2013. It was formally established by the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

on January 15, 1810. It was incorporated as a city on February 19, 1840. In the early 19th century, the community had leaders who were politically prominent in the state. Four homes in the city still stand that were residences of future governors of Kentucky:

John Breathitt John Breathitt (September 9, 1786 – February 21, 1834) was an American politician and lawyer who was the List of governors of Kentucky, 11th Governor of Kentucky. He was the first Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to hold this office a ...

, James Morehead,

John J. Crittenden John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 – July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as Uni ...

, and

Charles S. Morehead Charles Slaughter Morehead (July 7, 1802 – December 21, 1868) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, and served as the 20th Governor of Kentucky. Though a member of the Whig Party for most of his political service, he joined the Know No ...

. 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 Kentucky General Assembly declared its neutrality and declined to secede with the rest of the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. Kentucky was a

slave state In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were prohibited. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave s ...

and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

sentiment was strong in the

Bluegrass region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Kentucky, Frankfort, Paris, Kentucky, Paris, Richmond, Kentucky, Ric ...

and the west, but the residents of the mountainous eastern section were mainly small farmers and pro- Union. In the summer of 1861, when Confederate troops had occupied the area, 116 prominent pro-Confederate delegates from 68

counties 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 ...

met as the Russellville Convention and created a rival Confederate government for Kentucky. George W. Johnson was elected as the state's Confederate

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and the Confederacy controlled more than half the state early in the war. Despite ''de facto'' Union control over the rest of Kentucky after 1862, the government was recognized and Kentucky admitted to the Confederacy. Kentucky was represented by the thirteenth star on the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

. During the war, there were several minor skirmishes in and around Russellville. After the war, Kentucky struggled for some years with

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

unrest. A gang made up of the former Confederate guerrillas

Cole Younger Thomas Coleman Younger (January 15, 1844 – March 21, 1916) was an American Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War and later an outlaw leader with the James–Younger Gang. He was the elder brother of Jim, John and Bob Younge ...

, George Shepard, and Oliver Shepard, along with Confederate veterans John Jarrett and Arthur McCoy, robbed the Nimrod Long Bank or the Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville on March 20, 1868. Brothers Frank and

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

, who later had their own outlaw gang based in western

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, may have taken part. A Russellville bank on the city square displays a large mural painted depicting the robbery. A reenactment (called a "play on horseback") is performed annually during the city's Tobacco and Heritage Festival. Several downtown homes have been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

including the Victorian Mansion at 224 Cornelius Avenue, a house that boasted the state's first indoor bathroom.

Geography

Russellville is located in central Logan County. 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 ...

, Russellville has a total area of , of which , or 0.22%, are water. The city is set among small hills in the valley of the Town Branch, a north-flowing tributary of the Mud River and part of the Green River watershed flowing to 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 ...

. Russellville is served by U.S. Routes 68, 79 and 431. The nearest limited-access highway is the Natcher Parkway ( I-165), to the northeast.

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, Russellville 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 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 7,149 people, 3,064 households, and 1,973 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,458 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.64%

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 ...

, 18.62%

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 ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.36% 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 ...

, 0.57% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races.

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 were 1.58% of the population. There were 3,064 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% 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, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,647, and the median income for a family was $31,448. Males had a median income of $27,529 versus $20,032 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 $15,654. About 17.1% of families and 23.0% 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 37.0% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Amid a largely agricultural area, Russellville is home to manufacturers of a number of products from pet food to plastics. The area's largest employer, Logan Aluminum, employs over 1,300 people.

Education

Russellville 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 Logan County Public Library.

Notable people

Philip Alston Philip Geoffrey Alston is an Australian international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, and co-chair of the law school's Center for Human Rights and Globa ...

, counterfeiter and early settler near Russellville *

Pedro Bradshaw DeAndre Cortez "Pedro" Bradshaw (born October 14, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Rostock Seawolves of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He played college basketball for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Bellarmine Knig ...

, NBA player * Athena Cage, recording artist, producer, and songwriter *

Ann Mary Butler Crittenden Coleman Ann Crittenden Coleman (, Crittenden; pen name, Mrs. Chapman Coleman; May 5, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a 19th-century American author and translator. Her parents were John J. Crittenden, the statesman, and Sarah O. (Lee) Crittenden, of the ...

(1813–1891), author, translator * George B. Crittenden (1812–80),

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 ...

major general during the

(1787–1863), U.S. attorney general, Kentucky governor, U.S. senator, and U.S. representative * Thomas L. Crittenden (1819–93), Union Army major general during the Civil War * Alice Allison Dunnigan, first female African American correspondent for Congress and the White House *

William Jefferson Hardin William Jefferson Hardin ( 1831September 13, 1889) was an American politician who was the first African American member of the Wyoming Legislature. Hardin was born in Russellville, Kentucky, and grew up in Kentucky while being raised by Shakers ...

, black legislator * Elijah Hise,

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

from Kentucky *

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), often known as Joe Jefferson, was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedians ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player * Holly Goddard Jones, novelist *

Finis McLean Finis Ewing McLean (February 19, 1806 – April 12, 1881) was a United States representative from Kentucky. Early life Finis Ewing McLean was born on February 19, 1806, near Russellville, Kentucky. He attended the country schools and Lebanon Ac ...

, congressman from Kentucky * Andre Morris, former world record holder in track and field * Elijah Hise Norton, congressman from

Presley O'Bannon Presley O'Bannon (c. 1776 – September 12, 1850) was a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War (1801–1805). In recognition of his bravery, he was presented a sword for his part ...

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer and hero of the

First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war ...

; resided in Russellville * Kelley Paul, writer and wife of current

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

* Jim Price, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player *

Mike Price Michael Bruce Price (born April 6, 1946) is an American former college football coach. He was the head football coach at Weber State College from 1981 to 1988, Washington State University from 1989 to 2002, and the University of Texas at El Pas ...

, basketball player *

Green Pinckney Russell Green Pinckney Russell (1861/1863–1939), was an American teacher, principal, school district supervisor, and college president. He was the first licensed African-American teacher in Lexington, Kentucky. Russell was the first "Supervisor of Negr ...

, American teacher, principal, school district supervisor, and college president * Fletcher Stockdale, a

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

* Mark Thompson (pitcher),

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Bubba Wells Charles Richard "Bubba" Wells Jr. (born July 26, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Austin Peay State University and later professionally, including for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA and ...

, former

player * Terrence W. Wilcutt,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut

References

External links

City of Russellville official website
{{authority control * Cities in Logan County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky Populated places established in 1790 County seats in Kentucky