Bardstown, Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bardstown, Kentucky | |
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| Nickname: Bourbon Capital of the World | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| Counties | Nelson |
| Settled | Salem, 1770s[1] |
| Established | Bard's Town, 1780[1] |
| Incorporated | Bardstown, 1790[1] |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Dick Heaton |
| Area | |
| - City | 7.2 sq mi (18.7 km²) |
| - Land | 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 10,374 |
| - Density | 1,445.3/sq mi (557.9/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 40004 |
| Website: http://www.cityofbardstown.org/ | |
Bardstown is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,374 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nelson CountyGR6. It is named for David Bard, the man who obtained the land for the city from the governor of Virginia, and his brother William Bard, the surveyor who laid out the town.[1]
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[edit] History
Bardstown is the second oldest city in Kentucky.[citation needed] It was settled in the 1770s, and received its charter in 1790.
Bardstown was the first center of Catholicism west of the Appalachian Mountains.[2] The Diocese of Bardstown was established on February 8, 1808, and served all Catholics between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River, an area now served by 44 dioceses and archdioceses in 10 states. Its cathedral still stands as the Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral. The seat of the diocese was transferred to Louisville in 1841.[3] Bardstown is still the home of a Catholic high school, Bethlehem High School.
The Old Talbott Tavern, built in 1797 and located just off the Courthouse Square in the center of Bardstown, is another piece of Bardstown's rich history. Several notable American icons have passed through the tavern's doors, including Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Boone.[citation needed] Several bullet holes located in an upstairs wall are reputed to have been put there by Jesse James.[citation needed] It's rumored that some of the people who stayed at the tavern in years past never checked out, even after death, as some people claim to have encountered ghosts or other paranormal activity at the tavern.
Bardstown is the home of My Old Kentucky Home State Park, on which the Federal Hill mansion (inspiration for Stephen Foster's song "My Old Kentucky Home") was built by Senator Rowan and his wife Ann Lytle Rowan of the Lytle family, from whose father William Lytle they had been deeded the land as a wedding gift. Some historians believe that the song, "My Old Kentucky Home" was actually borrowed from the African American slaves who worked the plantation.[citation needed] The Federal Hill mansion is depicted on the reverse of the Kentucky state quarter issued by the United States Mint in 2001.
Several distilleries operate in and around Bardstown including Jim Beam, Maker's Mark and Heaven Hill. The large amount of bourbon produced in the area gave rise to the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival and Bardstown the title Bourbon Capital of the World. A public museum, the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey, showcases this aspect of local history.
[edit] Geography and maps
Bardstown is located at (37.815492, -85.463006)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.7 km² (7.2 mi²). 18.6 km² (7.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.69%) is water.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,374 people, 4,195 households, and 2,701 families residing in the city. The population density was 557.9/km² (1,445.3/mi²). There were 4,488 housing units at an average density of 241.3/km² (625.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.11% White, 15.07% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 4,195 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00.
The age distribution is 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,497, and the median income for a family was $41,065. Males had a median income of $31,850 versus $20,537 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,681. About 14.6% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
Bardstown, along with Nelson County, is part of the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
[edit] Transportation
The Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway is a limited-access highway that passes just south of Bardstown. A part of the Kentucky parkway system, the highway was formerly a toll road, but tolls were removed in 1991 when enough tolls were collected to pay off its construction bonds.
Railroad freight service is provided by the R. J. Corman Railroad Company Bardstown Line, over the former Bardstown Branch of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Corman operates My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, a passenger train specializing in dinner service that travels the line from the historic Bardstown depot to Clermont and back.
[edit] Media
The Kentucky Standard, a Landmark-owned publication, is the newspaper of Bardstown with tri-weekly circulation of 19,000.
[edit] Attractions and events
- The Civil War Museum in Bardstown has been ranked the fourth-best Civil War museum in the country.[citation needed]
- The Kentucky Bourbon Festival celebrates Bardstown's history in the production of bourbon. It was designated Kentucky's official bourbon festival by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2000.[4]
- My Old Kentucky Home State Park, site of the mansion that inspired Kentucky's state song, "My Old Kentucky Home".
- Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey celebrates Bardstown's history in the production of whiskey.
- "Stephen Foster - The Musical" an outdoor musical about Stephen Foster, composer of "My Old Kentucky Home." It was designated Kentucky's official outdoor musical by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2002.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Kentucky Atlas and Gazeteer - Bardstown
- ^ Jay P. Dolan, The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial Times to the Present (Notre Dame, Indiana: Notre Dame University Press, 1992), pp. 119, 160-61.
- ^ Dolan, American Catholic Experience, p. 161.
- ^ Kentucky State Symbols
