- Mercer County, Kentucky
-
Mercer County, Kentucky 
Mercer County Courthouse in Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.Founded 1786 Named for Hugh Mercer Seat Harrodsburg Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
253.11 sq mi (656 km²)
250.92 sq mi (650 km²)
2.20 sq mi (6 km²), 0.87%Population
- (2000)
- Density
20,817
83/sq mi (32/km²)Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Website www.mercercounty.ky.gov Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg[1]. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer. It is a prohibition or dry county but Harrodsburg and Pleasant Hill allow the sale of alcohol by the drink.
Contents
History
Pleasant Hill, also known as Shakertown, is the site of a former Shaker community, active especially during the antebellum years before the American Civil War. It is a National Historic Landmark District, consisting of more than 30 historic buildings. The property also includes acres of farm and parkland.
19th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Harwood in Harrodsburg, Kentucky and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on January 2, 1862 under the command of Colonel William J. Landram.
Company D of the 192nd Tank Battalion in the Battle of Bataan was from Harrodsburg.[2]
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 253.11 square miles (655.6 km2), of which 250.92 square miles (649.9 km2) (or 99.13%) is land and 2.20 square miles (5.7 km2) (or 0.87%) is water.[3]
Adjacent counties
- Anderson County (north)
- Woodford County (northeast)
- Jessamine County (east)
- Garrard County (southeast)
- Boyle County (south)
- Washington County (west)
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1790 7,091 — 1800 9,646 36.0% 1810 12,630 30.9% 1820 15,587 23.4% 1830 17,694 13.5% 1840 18,720 5.8% 1850 14,067 −24.9% 1860 13,701 −2.6% 1870 13,144 −4.1% 1880 14,142 7.6% 1890 15,034 6.3% 1900 14,426 −4.0% 1910 14,063 −2.5% 1920 14,795 5.2% 1930 14,471 −2.2% 1940 14,629 1.1% 1950 14,643 0.1% 1960 14,596 −0.3% 1970 15,960 9.3% 1980 19,011 19.1% 1990 19,148 0.7% 2000 20,817 8.7% http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21167.txt As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 20,817 people, 8,423 households, and 6,039 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 per square mile (32 /km2). There were 9,289 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.00% White, 3.69% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 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 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 $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 for the county was $17,972. About 10.00% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.
Law and Government
- Milward Dedman
- Dennis Holiday
- Larry Peyton
- JB Claunch
- Wayne Jackson
- Ronnie Sims
- Bill Waggener
- Ted Dean
- Sonny Ransdell
- Ernie Kelty
- Chris Horn
Circuit Clerk:
- Beth Neal
District Court Judge:
- Jeff Dotson
Circuit Court Judge:
- Darren Peckler
Family Court Judge:
- Bruce Petrie
Jailer:
- Cleo Baker
Notable residents
- John Adair, member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate, also governor of Kentucky[5]
Colonel George M. Chinn(USMC) author and military weapons developer.
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.
See also
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Life Magazine 1942
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Mercer County, Kentucky Cities Unincorporated
communitiesDuncan | Mayo | Pleasant Hill | Salvisa | Talmage
Categories:- Kentucky counties
- Mercer County, Kentucky
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