Cloverport, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cloverport is a city in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, USA, on the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 1,256 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Government
5 Education
6 Notable natives
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

The town was once known as "Joesville," named after its founder, Joe Houston. Founded in 1808^[1] and situated along the Ohio River, Cloverport's past has seen greater economic importance as a port city.

In 1816, Cloverport ferryman Jacob Weatherholt piloted the family of Abraham Lincoln, then a lad of seven, along with his parents, Thomas and Nancy, across the Ohio River as the family left Kentucky to move to a newly-acquired farm in Spencer County, Indiana.

Cloverport was also the site of a button factory, which made use of shells from the Ohio River.

In the eighteenth century, the Victoria Coal Mines produced the world's first coal oil, which was later used to light Buckingham Palace.

Former United States Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge was born at nearby Tar Springs on July 20, 1894. Rutledge was the son of the pastor of Cloverport Baptist Church.

[edit] Geography

Cloverport is located at 37°50′3″N, 86°37′55″W (37.834263, -86.632015)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 km² (1.7 mi²). 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (2.41%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,256 people, 536 households, and 351 families residing in the city. The population density was 301.2/km² (779.1/mi²). There were 620 housing units at an average density of 148.7/km² (384.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.42% White, 2.47% African American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 536 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $30,917. Males had a median income of $30,156 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,990. About 14.1% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

Cloverport's government members include: Mayor: Danny Allen City Council Members:

Sarah Atwood
Susan Hendricks
Daniel "Dan" Allen
Percy Rogers
Thomas "Tom" Wheatley

[edit] Education

Cloverport has three schools; William H. Natcher Elementary, Frederick Fraize Middle School, and Frederick Fraize High School. Due to Cloverport's small size, all three schools are put together in one large building.