| Bardstown, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Bardstown Historic District | |
| Nickname(s): Bourbon Capital of the World ® | |
| Location of Bardstown within Kentucky | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Nelson |
| Settled | Salem, 1770s[1] |
| Established | Bard's Town, 1780[1] |
| Incorporated | Bardstown, 1790[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Richard Heaton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.4 sq mi (19.2 km2) |
| • Land | 7.3 sq mi (18.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 646 ft (197 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 11,700 |
| • Density | 1,577.9/sq mi (609.2/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 40004 |
| Area code(s) | 502 |
| FIPS code | 21-03628 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0486333 |
| Website | cityofbardstown.org |
Bardstown is a city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was recorded as 11,700 by the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County.[2] 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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Bardstown is one of the oldest cities in Kentucky settled by European Americans.[3] Settled in the 1780s, it was chartered in 1790.
Reflecting the westward migration of Americans after the Revolutionary War, Bardstown was the first center of Catholicism west of the Appalachian Mountains in the original territory of the United States.[4] The Diocese of Bardstown was established on February 8, 1808, to serve 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.[5] Bardstown is still the home of a Catholic high school, Bethlehem High School.
The Old Talbott Tavern, built in 1779 and located just off the Courthouse Square in the center of Bardstown, is part of Bardstown's rich history. Several notable Americans have passed through the tavern's doors, including Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Boone.[6] Bullet holes in an upstairs wall are reputed to have been put there by Jesse James.[7] Some of the people who stayed at the tavern in years past are rumored never to have checked out, even after death, as 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 their plantation, Judge John Rowan and his wife Ann Lytle Rowan built "Federal Hill," the mansion that is mistakenly alleged to have inspired his cousin Stephen Foster to write the song "My Old Kentucky Home." Federal Hill is depicted on the reverse of the Kentucky state quarter issued by the United States Mint in 2002.
Several distilleries operate in and around Bardstown, including Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, and Heaven Hill. The regional production of bourbon has generated the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, whose promoters have trademarked the phrase Bourbon Capital of the World® to apply exclusively to Bardstown.[8] The local tourism commission promotes the use of the trademarked phrase.[9] A public museum, the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey, showcases this aspect of local history.
Bardstown's downtown area is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km2), all but 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of which is land.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 536 |
|
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| 1870 | 1,835 | 242.4% | |
| 1880 | 1,803 | −1.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,524 | −15.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,711 | 12.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,126 | 24.3% | |
| 1920 | 1,717 | −19.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,767 | 2.9% | |
| 1940 | 3,152 | 78.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,154 | 31.8% | |
| 1960 | 4,798 | 15.5% | |
| 1970 | 5,816 | 21.2% | |
| 1980 | 6,155 | 5.8% | |
| 1990 | 6,712 | 9.0% | |
| 2000 | 10,374 | 54.6% | |
| 2010 | 11,700 | 12.8% | |
| U.S Census Bureau[10] | |||
As of the census of 2010,[11] there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,577.9 per square mile (609.2 /km2). There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of 689.5 per square mile (266.2 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.31% White (80.79% non-Hispanic), 12.39% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.56% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.71% of the population.
There were 4,712 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.
The age distribution was 27.7% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
As of the 2010 Census, the median income for a household in the city was $50,046, and the median income for a family was $60,609. Full-time male workers had a median income of $46,500 versus $36,551 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,059. About 11.3% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Bardstown, along with Nelson County, is part of the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Bluegrass 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/Central Kentucky Lines, 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.
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