Bardstown, Kentucky

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 County.

History and notable facts

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.

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.

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. Several bullet holes located in an upstairs wall are reputed to have been put there by Jesse James. 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. The Old Talbott Tavern still serves as a bar, night club, restaurant, and bed & breakfast.

Bardstown was the first center of Catholicism west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Diocese of Bardstown was erected on 8 February 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 diocese was transferred to Louisville in 1841.

The Kentucky Standard, a Landmark owned publication, is the newspaper of Bardstown with tri-weekly circulation of 19,000.

Bardstown is the second-oldest city in Kentucky. It was settled in the 1770's, and received its charter in 1790.

Geography and maps

Bardstown is located at (37.815492, -85.463006).

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.

Demographics

As of the census 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.

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. (Such toll removal is required by Kentucky law, and has occurred on all but two of the state's parkways.)

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.

Trivia

The current mayor of Bardstown is Dixie Hibbs. She is Bardstown's first female mayor.
The Federal Hill mansion at My Old Kentucky Home State Park can be seen on the reverse of the Kentucky-edition quarter-dollar coin.
Bardstown's ZIP code is 40004. The telephone area code is 502.

External links

Cities in Kentucky | Nelson County, Kentucky