Wayne 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 ...

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 ...

along the southern border with

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,555. 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 ...

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

. The county, on the south-central border with Tennessee, was named for Gen.

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

, a Revolutionary War hero. As of November 3, 2020, Wayne County is a wet countya measure allowing the sales and consumption of alcoholic drinks passed by a margin of 4,901 for and 3,966 against.

History

The first known European-American settlers to visit the area were longhunters who arrived in the 1770s. They established a temporary camp near Mill Springs on the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

. Benjamin Price built a log cabin in 1775, and Price's Station became one of the earliest Kentucky settlements. This was still an area of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

homeland territory, and conflicts arose between the groups as more Americans settled here. Many Revolutionary War veterans followed Price, including Joshua Jones, who arrived in 1794, Jonathan and James Ingram in 1796, Cornelius Phillips in 1798, and Isaac West in 1799. Veterans, they had each been given land grants in the area, in lieu of back salary payments by the United States government from the war. Wayne County was formed December 13, 1800, from Pulaski and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

counties. It was the 43rd county in the state and is named for General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a hero of 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 ...

and the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

. Wayne's victory at the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

virtually ended the Indian threat against Kentucky settlers. The area was developed for agriculture, and planters used enslaved African Americans as laborers. Early in 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 ...

, Confederate Army General Felix Zollicoffer made his headquarters in the Brown-Lanie
House
at Mill Springs. He was killed at the Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, 1862, when he mistook some Union troops for his own and approached them. The Union men shot him dead, and without their leader, the Confederate were defeated. During the winter of 1861, the Confederate Government Of Kentucky issued an act to rename Wayne County to Zollicoffer County in honor of Felix Zollicoffer, who died at the Battle of Mill Springs.Brown, p. 89

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 (5.4%) is water. The county's elevation ranges from ASL, at the Monticello/Wayne County Airport the elevation is . Wayne County is located in the Pennyrile Plateaubr>(image)
and Eastern Coal Fieldbr>(image)
regions of Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

* Russell County - northwest/CST Border * Pulaski County - northeast * McCreary County - east *

Scott County, Tennessee Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,039, down from 22,228 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Huntsville and the largest town is Oneida. Scott County is known for ...

- southeast * Pickett County, Tennessee - south/CST Border *

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

- west/CST Border

National protected area

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky, United States. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was ...

(part)

Time zone boundary

Wayne County is on Eastern Time; however, its western border, shared with Clinton and Russell Counties, is part of the Eastern/Central time zone boundary, as is its southern border with Pickett County, TN. Wayne County observed Central time until October 2000; an account of this change is documented in an article by Dr. Stanley Brunn of the University of Kentucky. The county has the

tz database The tz database is a collaborative compilation of information about the world's time zones and rules for observing daylight saving time, primarily intended for use with computer programs and operating systems. Paul Eggert has been its editor an ...

zone identifier America/Kentucky/Monticello.

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 19,923 people, 7,913 households, and 5,808 families 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 9,789 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.98%

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 ...

, 1.49%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population were

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 any race. There were 7,913 households, out of which 33.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% 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, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94. The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $20,863, and the median income for a family was $24,869. Males had a median income of $24,021 versus $18,102 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 $12,601. About 24.60% of families and 29.40% 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 34.90% of those under age 18 and 31.50% of those over age 64.

Notable people

* Dick Burnett, partially blind fiddle player who wrote the popular song " Man of Constant Sorrow" in the early 1900s. Burnett also played the guitar and banjo, and made several highly regarded recordings in the late 1920s. Born near Monticello in 1883. * Emry Arthur, early folk and country musician and recording artist active in the 1920s and 1930s. Born in 1902 in the Elk Spring Valley area of the county. Recorded a popular version of Burnett's "Man of Constant Sorrow" in 1928. * Polly Berry, an enslaved woman in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, who gained freedom for both herself and her daughter through two

freedom suits Freedom suits were lawsuits in the Thirteen Colonies and the United States filed by enslaved people against slaveholders to assert claims to freedom, often based on descent from a free maternal ancestor, or time held as a resident in a free st ...

in court. She had lived as a child in Wayne County before her master took her to Illinois (a free state) and Missouri. * Lettice Bryan, author of
The Kentucky Housewife
' (1839), a popular cookbook, lived in Wayne County in the 1830s and 1840s when her cookbook was published. * Shelby M. Cullom (1829–1914), Governor of Illinois (1877–1883); U. S. Senator (1883–1913) * Preston H. Leslie (1819–1907) - Governor of Kentucky (1871–1875); Governor of Montana (1887–1889) * Harriette Simpson Arnow (1908–1986) was an American novelist and historian, who was born in Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky. *

Hal Rogers Harold Dallas Rogers (born December 31, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers became the dean of the Hous ...

, US Congressman (1981–present) * Kenny Davis, US Olympic basketball player (1972) * John S. Van Winkle, former Secretary of State of Kentucky * Ephraim L. Van Winkle, former Secretary of State of Kentucky

Historical attractions

William Crenshaw Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Museum
and Genealogy Library *

Doughboy "Doughboy" was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s, when it was gradually replaced by " G.I." as the following ge ...

Monument, located on the Monticello town square, in honor of World War I soldiers * Mill Springs Mill (1877) and Park, a water-powered overshot

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

that is still operating * Brown-Lanier House - Historic home associated with the Civil War Battle of Mill Springs/Logan's Crossroads *Raccoon John Smith Cabin - early home of religious leader and Restoration Movement founder

Politics

Elected officials

Communities

City

(county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Barrier * Big Sinking * Cooper * Duncan Valley * Fall Creek * Frazer * Frisby * Hidalgo * Mill Springs * Parmleysville * Powersburg * Rockybranch * Roger's Grove * Steubenville * Sunnybrook * Windy

Education

Wayne County Schools operates the county's public schools. On June 30, 2013 Monticello Independent Schools merged into Wayne County schools. Vocational education in the county has been provided by Wayne County Vocational School from 1971 to the present. Its name has changed several times during that period; it is presently knows as Wayne County Area Technology Center (ATC). It is managed by The Office Of Career And Technical Education. The school serves secondary students enrolled in Wayne County High School. Programs include Health Science, Welding, Carpentry, Machine Tool, Automotive, Industrial Maintenance, and Business.

References

External links

Wayne County History

Wayne County Historical Museum

City of Monticello, Kentucky Website

Monticello/Wayne County Chamber of Commerce

My Kentucky World (Harlan Ogle)

Monticello Independent School

Wayne County School District
{{Coord, 36.81, -84.83, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990 Kentucky counties 1800 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1800