Washington 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

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,027. 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 Springfield. The county is named for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. Washington County was the first county formed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky when it reached statehood, and the 16th county formed. The

center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...

of Kentucky is located in Washington County, in the city of Willisburg. The county is dry, meaning that the sale of

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

is prohibited, but it contains the "wet" city of Springfield, where retail alcohol sales are allowed. This classifies the jurisdiction as a

moist county In the United States state of Kentucky, a moist county is a county the regulations in force of which are between those of a "dry county" (in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited) and a " wet county" (in which alcohol is sold). Th ...

. Three wineries operate in the county and are licensed separately to sell to the public. Jacob Beam, founder of

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced primarily at James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky by Suntory Global Spirits. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohi ...

whiskey, sold his first barrel of whiskey in Washington County.

History

Washington County was established in 1792 from land taken from Nelson County. It was the first county created by the Commonwealth of Kentucky after its separation from Virginia. The Washington County Courthouse, completed in 1816, is the oldest courthouse still in use in Kentucky. A significant county court record is the marriage bond of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, parents of 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 ...

. The bond is dated June 10, 1806; it was written the day before the marriage in the small community of Beechland, on the Little Beech River. The marriage return was signed by Jesse Head, the Methodist preacher who performed the ceremony, and dates the marriage to June 12, 1806.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.3%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

* Anderson County - northeast * Mercer County - east * Boyle County - east * Marion County - south * Nelson County - west

Demographics

As of the 2000

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 ...

, 10,916 people, 4,121 households, and 3,020 families resided 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 . The 4,542 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.62% White, 7.51% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. About 1.60% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 4,121 households, 33.1% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were not families. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 25.3% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,136, and for a family was $39,240. Males had a median income of $27,624 versus $21,593 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 $15,722. About 10.3% of families and 13.5% 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 14.4% of those under 18 and 19.6% of those 65 or over.

Education

The county is served b
Washington County Schools
a district that contains five schools:

in Willisburg for prekindergarten through grade 8 with 468 students
Washington County Elementary School
in Springfield for prekindergarten through grade 5 with 387 students * Care Academy, Inc. in Willisburg for grades 6–12 with 65 students
Washington County Middle School
in Springfield for grades 6–8 with 206 students
Washington County High School
in Springfield for grades 9–12 with 626 students St. Catharine College (now closed) was located near Springfield.

Communities

Cities

* Mackville * Springfield (county seat) * Willisburg

Unincorporated communities

* Bear Wallow * Brush Grove * Fredericktown * Manton * Maud * Mooresville * Pleasant Grove * Saint Catharine * Thompsonville

Politics

Elected officials

References

{{authority control Kentucky counties 1792 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1792