Beech Tree News Network

We’ve reached what I’ll call the 3 week home stretch of our county origins column.  This week, we begin with Scott County, Ky.  Scott County, founded in 1792, was explored as early as 1774.  One of the early settlers was John McClelland of Pennsylvania.  The area became subject to hostile Indian attacks and was abandoned in 1777.  In 1783, Robert Johnson(not the Blues artist) established the first permanent settlement at Johnson’s Station.  In 1786, Maryland Catholics established the second parish at St. Francis, Ky.  

Scott County was established in 1792 from land given by Woodford County.] It was one of the first counties created after Statehood. It was named for Revolutionary War hero, Gen. Charles Scott, who led the Kentucky Militia at the disastrous Battle of the Wabash in 1791.[4] Gen. Scott went on to the 1794 victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and served as Governor from 1808 to 1812.

In 1825, the Choctaw Nation established the Choctaw Academy at Blue Spring in the county. They operated the school for Choctaw boys until 1842, when it closed. They transferred the staff and records to the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, where they had removed in the 1830s. There they founded the Spencer Academy in 1844 as the school for Choctaw boys and also founded a school for girls. Later in the nineteenth century, they accepted Baptist missionaries to found the Armstrong Academy.

On November 18, 1861, Scott County native George W. Johnson was elected provisional Confederate governor of Kentucky. In the American Civil War, Scott County furnished the Union army with 118 soldiers and the Confederacy with approximately 1,000.  The county seat and largest city is Georgetown.  Estimated population, as of 2015, was 52,420.

Shelby County was founded in 1792 from land given by Jefferson County.  The county was named after the 5th Governor of Kentucky, Isaac Shelby.  The county seat and largest city is Shelbyville.  Established population, as of 2015, was 45,632.  

Simpson County was established in 1819 from Allen, Logan and Warren Counties.  The county was named for Captain John Simpson, a Kentucky militia officer who fought in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Indian War, and was killed during the War of 1812 in the Battle of River Raisin.  The county seat and largest city is Franklin.  Estimated population, as of 2015, was 18,006.  

Spencer County was founded in 1824 and was named for Captain Spier Spencer, an Indiana militia officer who commanded a company of mounted riflemen known as the Yellow jackets at the Battle of Tippecanoe,  Spencer County, Indiana was named in his honor.  The county seat and largest city is Taylorsville.  Spencer County was formed in January 1824, by the 32nd Kentucky General Assembly. The land that now makes up Spencer County was taken from Bullitt County, Shelby County, and Nelson County. Spencer County became Kentucky's 77th county. The county was named for Kentucky's Captain Spier Spencer, who fought and died in the Battle of Tippecanoe.[5]

Later that year, in December 1824, Taylorsville was made the county seat. In 1829, the city was incorporated.  During the American Civil War, the courthouse at Taylorsville was burned by Confederate guerrillas in January 1865, but the county's records were saved.  Estimated population as of 2015 was 17,894.  

Taylor County was founded in 1848.  The county seat and largest city is Campbellsville.  Estimated population as of 2015 was 25,420.  Notable natives and residents include Margaret Buckner Young-author of children’s books, Aaron Harding-member of House of Representatives 1861-67, spanning the American Civil War, Clem Haskins, Campbellsville-most notable as former Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach, and pro golfer J.B. Holmes, who was born and raised in Taylor County.  Settled from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina after the Revolutionary War, the county was organized in 1848 in the Highland Rim region.  It was named for General Zachary Taylor, 

Todd County was founded in 1820 and named for Colonel John Todd.  The county seat and largest city is Elkton.  Notable residents include George Street Boone-liberal constitutional scholar, Jefferson Davis-president of the Confederacy, Dorothy Dix(Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, columnist), Caroline Gordon(author of 9 novels), MLB player Kent Greenfield, architect Paul Rudolph, Edward Shanklin, Sr(Revolutionary War soldier and county founding father), Jess 

Sweetster(first American-born golfer to win British Amateur), David S. Terry(California jurist and politician) and Robert Penn Warren, first poet laureate of the United States.  

We end this week with Trigg County.  Trigg was founded in 1820 from Christian and Caldwell counties.  Trigg was named for Lt Colonel Stephen Trigg(American pioneer and soldier from Virginia).  The county seat and largest city is Cadiz.  Estimated population as of 2015 was 14,233.