Butler County, Kentucky

Not to be confused with Butler, Kentucky.

Butler County, Kentucky
Butler County Courthouse in Morgantown
Location in the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1810
Named for	Richard Butler
Seat	Morgantown
Largest city	Morgantown
Area
• Total	431 sq mi (1,116 km2)
• Land	426 sq mi (1,103 km2)
• Water	5.4 sq mi (14 km2), 1.2%
Population
• (2000)	13,010
• Density	30/sq mi (12/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.butlercounty.ky.gov

Butler County is a county located in the US state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,690. Its county seat is Morgantown. The county was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county. It is a prohibition or dry county.

Butler County is included in the Bowling Green, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Numerous archaeological sites are located along the Green River in Butler County. A 1932 survey found nine sites, many of which were a group of shell mounds, including the Carlston Annis and DeWeese Shell Mounds.

The area now known as Butler County was first settled by the families of Richard C. Dellium and James Forgy, who founded a town called Berry's Lick. The first industry was salt-making.

On January 18, 1810, the Kentucky General Assembly created Butler County from portions of Logan and Ohio counties. The new county was named for Major General Richard Butler, who died at the Battle of the Wabash in 1791.

Butler County has one of only two Civil War monuments in Kentucky that honor the soldiers of both sides. The Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in Morgantown, a zinc monument, was dedicated in 1907 on the Butler County Courthouse lawn.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 431 square miles (1,120 km²), of which 426 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km²) (1.2%) is water. It is part of the Western Coal Fields region of Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

• Ohio County (northwest)
• Grayson County (northeast)
• Edmonson County (east)
• Warren County (southeast)
• Logan County (south)
• Muhlenberg County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	3,083		—
1830	3,058		−0.8%
1840	3,898		27.5%
1850	5,755		47.6%
1860	7,927		37.7%
1870	9,404		18.6%
1880	12,181		29.5%
1890	13,956		14.6%
1900	15,896		13.9%
1910	15,805		−0.6%
1920	15,197		−3.8%
1930	12,620		−17.0%
1940	14,371		13.9%
1950	11,309		−21.3%
1960	9,586		−15.2%
1970	9,723		1.4%
1980	11,064		13.8%
1990	11,245		1.6%
2000	13,010		15.7%
2010	12,690		−2.5%
Est. 2014	12,875		1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,010 people, 5,059 households, and 3,708 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 per square mile (12/km²). There were 5,815 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.88% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,059 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,405, and the median income for a family was $35,317. Males had a median income of $26,449 versus $19,894 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,617. About 13.10% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

For much of its history, Butler County's main line of transportation was the Green River. As railroads became more important economically, the county compensated by building a series of roads to major trade centers such as U.S. 231 connecting Beaver Dam with Owensboro. Green River was eventually closed to traffic after Woodbury's Lock and Dam Number 4 washed out in 1965 and Rochester's Lock and Dam Number 3 was abandoned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1980. Completion of the William H. Natcher Parkway linked the area to the national interstate system in 1970.

Media

Radio stations

• WLBQ-AM 1570 / W268CE FM 101.5 - BeechTree Radio
• WWKN-FM 99.1

Newspaper

• Butler County Banner-Republican - published Wednesdays

Communities

• Morgantown (county seat)
• Rochester
• Woodbury

Sites and events of interest

Sites include:

• Charles Black City Park - Helm Lane off Kentucky Route 70, Morgantown. It offers baseball and soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts; access free of charge. It is also the home to the Morgantown City Pool, which has a minimal charge for use.
• Cedar Ridge Speedway, two miles west of Morgantown along KY 70, is a venue for local racing leagues.
• Green River Museum, Woodbury
• The Corner Market in Roundhill, Junction of State routes 70 and 185 on the Butler-Edmonson County line.
• Big Reedy Christian Camp, D Simpson Road off KY 185, Reedyville.

Events include:

• Green River Catfish Festival (annual event) - Charles Black City Park and various locations; late June/early July Features a carnival, various contests, concerts, and tournaments. A fireworks display on July 4 is also included.

Notable people

• Claude C. Bloch – Admiral who commanded the local Naval District at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack during World War II (born in Woodbury)
• Keith Butler - baseball pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals organization. (from Morgantown).
• Sally Deweese – From April 20–21, 1834–?. Deweese gave birth to a boy at 10 years of age.
• Thomas Hines – Confederate spy during the Civil War and chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals
• Don J. Jenkins – Vietnam War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient (born in Quality)
• John M. Moore – bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (born in Morgantown)
• William S. Taylor – Governor of Kentucky from 1899 to 1900 (born near Morgantown)
• Pendleton Vandiver – fiddler and uncle of bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, who immortalized him in the song "Uncle Pen" and in the Country Boy music video for Ricky Skaggs
• Maurice Thatcher - Asst. Attorney General of Kentucky 1899, Governor of Panama 1910-1913 U. S. Representative1922-1932 aided in legislature establishing Mammoth Cave and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Parks and Zachary Taylor National Cemetery
• Andrew G. Hamilton - Co-led, with Thomas Rose, the March 1864 escape of 109 Union soldiers from Libby Prison during the American Civil War

See also

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Butler County, Kentucky

External links

• Geographic data related to Butler County, Kentucky at OpenStreetMap