Owen County, Kentucky

Owen County
County
Owen County courthouse in Owenton
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°32′N84°50′W / 38.53°N 84.83°W / 38.53; -84.83
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1819
Named for	Abraham Owen
Seat	Owenton
Largest city	Owenton
Area
• Total	354 sq mi (920 km2)
• Land	351 sq mi (910 km2)
• Water	3.1 sq mi (8 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,278
• Estimate  (2023)	11,313
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.owencountyky.us

Owen County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Owenton. ^[1] The county is named for Colonel Abraham Owen. ^[2] It is a prohibition or dry county, with the exception of a winery that is authorized to sell its product to the public, ^[3] and limited sales within the incorporated city limits of Owenton. ^[4]

History

Numerous Native American burial mounds were located in Owen County. ^[5] Many pioneers made their homes on land grants along the many streams which flow through the county.

Owen County was formed as the 63rd county by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and approved February 6, 1819. ^[6] It was formed from the counties of Franklin, Scott, Gallatin, and Pendleton. Hesler (Heslerville) was the first county seat. Owen County was named after Abraham Owen, an Indian fighter and Kentucky legislator, who was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Colonel Owen also surveyed and mapped the region that became Owen County. ^[5] On November 16, 1820, the legislature passed another act which restored to Franklin County part or all of what was taken from it under the 1819 act. To compensate for this, the legislature took some more land from Gallatin County and gave it to Owen by act dated December 26, 1820. ^[6] Therefore, Hesler was no longer in the center of the county. Accordingly, on January 15, 1822, the county court ordered that the seat of justice be removed to land owned by Andrew Parker, James Hess, and William H. Forsee. The town Owenton was developed. Court was held at the new county seat on February 11, 1822. ^[6]

In 1844, after Kentucky began to construct locks and dams on the Kentucky River, packet boats on regular trips between Frankfort and Louisville made stops in Owen County at Monterey, Moxley, Gratz, and other towns. New Liberty was founded before 1800 and was the site of one of the first churches. ^[6]

In the 1870s, Owen County saw Deputy U.S. Marshall Willis Russell struggle to suppress the local Ku Klux Klan chapter, which was committing violence against former slaves in the years during Reconstruction. Russell was murdered by an unknown assassin in 1875.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 354 square miles (920 km²), of which 351 square miles (910 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) (0.9%) is water. ^[7]

Adjacent counties

• Carroll County (northwest)
• Gallatin County (northeast)
• Grant County (east)
• Scott County (southeast)
• Franklin County (southwest)
• Henry County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	2,031		—
1830	5,786		184.9%
1840	8,232		42.3%
1850	10,444		26.9%
1860	12,719		21.8%
1870	14,309		12.5%
1880	17,401		21.6%
1890	17,676		1.6%
1900	17,553		−0.7%
1910	14,248		−18.8%
1920	12,554		−11.9%
1930	10,710		−14.7%
1940	10,942		2.2%
1950	9,755		−10.8%
1960	8,237		−15.6%
1970	7,470		−9.3%
1980	8,924		19.5%
1990	9,035		1.2%
2000	10,547		16.7%
2010	10,841		2.8%
2020	11,278		4.0%
2023 (est.)	11,313	[8]	0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010-2021 [13]

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,841 people, 4,296 households, and 3,023 families residing in the county. The population density was 30.9 per square mile (11.9/km²). There were 5,634 housing units at an average density of 16.05 per square mile (6.20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 2.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,296 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 20 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. The population distribution for males was 49.7% and for females was 50.3%. ^[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,719 and the median income for a family was $59,242. Males had a median income of $41,563 versus $31,016 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,633. About 12.8% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over. ^[15]

Libraries

Located in downtown Owenton, the Owen County Public Library was established in 1946 by the Owen County Woman's Club. It was housed in the front parlor of Elizabeth Holbrook Thomas's home on the same corner where the present library, built in 1973, now stands.

The library's collection comprises more than 25,000 items, including a genealogy collection. Among the services it provides are printing, fax sending, notaries, and access to a public meeting room.

Currently this library changed to a center for the elderly when the county build a new library on the outskirts of the city of Owenton

Communities

Cities

• Glencoe
• Gratz
• Monterey
• Owenton (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Hesler
• Long Ridge
• Lusby's Mill
• New Columbus
• New Liberty
• Perry Park
• Pleasant Home
• Squiresville
• Wheatley

In popular culture

Owen County serves as the opening setting in the 1992 Paul Russell novel Boys of Life where it is referred to simply as Owen. ^[16] The majority of the novel is set in the early 1980s New York City. Points of interest within Owen and nearby areas such as Christian County are mentioned and referenced throughout the story.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Owen County, Kentucky ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	4,434	80.71%	988	17.98%	72	1.31%
2020	4,292	78.64%	1,098	20.12%	68	1.25%
2016	3,745	74.89%	1,062	21.24%	194	3.88%
2012	2,971	65.20%	1,501	32.94%	85	1.87%
2008	2,969	62.49%	1,694	35.66%	88	1.85%
2004	3,084	65.05%	1,615	34.06%	42	0.89%
2000	2,582	63.44%	1,394	34.25%	94	2.31%
1996	1,709	45.02%	1,603	42.23%	484	12.75%
1992	1,108	31.05%	1,830	51.27%	631	17.68%
1988	1,468	44.34%	1,823	55.06%	20	0.60%
1984	1,778	52.17%	1,612	47.30%	18	0.53%
1980	944	28.23%	2,323	69.47%	77	2.30%
1976	676	22.16%	2,332	76.43%	43	1.41%
1972	1,456	54.92%	1,161	43.79%	34	1.28%
1968	827	26.39%	1,608	51.31%	699	22.30%
1964	405	11.95%	2,980	87.93%	4	0.12%
1960	1,212	33.13%	2,446	66.87%	0	0.00%
1956	857	22.61%	2,928	77.24%	6	0.16%
1952	819	20.48%	3,174	79.35%	7	0.18%
1948	504	13.98%	3,056	84.75%	46	1.28%
1944	627	16.50%	3,157	83.08%	16	0.42%
1940	569	13.45%	3,655	86.39%	7	0.17%
1936	661	16.26%	3,392	83.44%	12	0.30%
1932	658	13.27%	4,240	85.48%	62	1.25%
1928	1,573	38.04%	2,552	61.72%	10	0.24%
1924	913	22.24%	3,155	76.84%	38	0.93%
1920	1,049	18.44%	4,623	81.26%	17	0.30%
1916	663	18.38%	2,911	80.70%	33	0.91%
1912	430	13.57%	2,460	77.65%	278	8.78%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Owen County, Kentucky

• United States portal

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
2. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp.  36.
3. "Wet & Dry Counties in Kentucky" (PDF). Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
4. "Voters approve alcohol by the drink in Owenton". Owenton News Herald. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
5. Kleber, John E. (January 13, 2015). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   9780813159010.
6. Acts of 1818-1819 Chapter 287 page 702 http://www.myowencountyky.com/owen-county-history/
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
14. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010: Owen County, Kentucky". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
15. "Selected Economic Characteristics: Owen County, Kentucky". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
16. Russell, Paul (1991). Boys of Life . New York, New York: Dutton. ISBN   0-525-93327-1.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 5, 2018.

External links

• Northern Kentucky Views - Owen County Historical Images and Documents

38°32′N84°50′W / 38.53°N 84.83°W / 38.53; -84.83