Caldwell County, Kentucky

Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,984.[1] Its county seat is Princeton.[2] The county was formed in 1809 from Livingston County, Kentucky and named for John Caldwell, who participated in the George Rogers Clark Indian Campaign of 1786 and was the second lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Caldwell was a prohibition or dry county until 2013, when the citizens voted to lift the ban.

Caldwell County
U.S. county
Caldwell County courthouse in Princeton
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°09′N 87°52′W
Country United States
State Kentucky
Founded1809
Named forJohn Caldwell
SeatPrinceton
Largest cityPrinceton
Area
 • Total348 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Land345 sq mi (890 km2)
 • Water3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  1.0%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
12,715
 • Density38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.caldwellcounty.ky.gov

History
Historical marker in Princeton

Caldwell County was formed from Livingston County in 1809. Prior to that, Caldwell County had been part of Christian, Logan, and Lincoln Counties — Lincoln County having been one of the three original counties of Kentucky.

In the early nineteenth-century, Caldwell County witnessed the passage of the forced migration of the Cherokee to the West on the Trail of Tears during Indian removal. The Cherokee camped for several weeks in Caldwell County during the winter of 1838, mainly at Big Springs, now in downtown Princeton; at Skin Frame Creek, and in the Centerville area near Fredonia.

In 1860, the construction of Princeton College began, but it was delayed by the Civil War. Confederate troops camped on the grounds of Princeton College in 1861, using one of its buildings as a hospital. Following the Confederate retreat in early 1862, however, Union soldiers occupied Princeton for the remainder of the war. In December 1864, raiding Kentucky Confederate cavalry commanded by General Hylan B. Lyon burned the Caldwell County courthouse in Princeton, since it was being used to house the Union garrison.

The expansion of railroads in the late nineteenth century made Princeton an important junction on several major railway lines, most notably the Illinois Central and the Louisville & Nashville.

By the turn of the century, an agricultural boom in Dark Fired Tobacco had made Caldwell County, along with Christian County, a major tobacco-growing area. It was part of what was called the "Black Patch", which used a special process to cure the tobacco. It included about 30 counties in western Kentucky and Tennessee. But the monopolization of the tobacco market by James B. Duke, who formed the American Tobacco Company, forced prices lower, leaving many farmers in debt and discontented.

In response, planters formed the Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee (PPA), to work together in pooling their commodity in order to gain higher prices. They initially used persuasion to urge other farmers to join them.

Under the leadership of Dr. David Amoss of Cobb in Caldwell County, a vigilante force called the Night Riders was formed to strengthen the persuasion. The Night Riders terrorized those who cooperated with the tobacco company by destroying crops, burning warehouses, and attacking individuals. The Night Riders took over Princeton one night in December 1906, burning all of the Duke tobacco warehouses. They raided other towns, conducting similar raids and destroying resources. The "Black Patch Wars" came to an end around 1908, finally suppressed with the aid of the Kentucky state militia.

Since 1925, Caldwell County has housed the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, a campus of the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture. The "UKREC" in Princeton is a leader in horticultural and biological sciences.

In the mid-twentieth century, Caldwell County began to shift from agriculture to industrialization. Caldwell County is still largely agricultural, but it is also home to factories such as Bremner, the largest private cookie and cracker factory in North America.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km2), of which 345 square miles (890 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (1.0%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18104,268—
18209,022111.4%
18308,324−7.7%
184010,36524.5%
185013,04825.9%
18609,318−28.6%
187010,82616.2%
188011,2824.2%
189013,18616.9%
190014,51010.0%
191014,063−3.1%
192013,975−0.6%
193013,781−1.4%
194014,4995.2%
195013,199−9.0%
196013,073−1.0%
197013,1790.8%
198013,4732.2%
199013,232−1.8%
200013,060−1.3%
201012,984−0.6%
Est. 201812,715[4]−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 13,060 people, 5,431 households, and 3,801 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 per square mile (15/km2). There were 6,126 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.89% White, 4.81% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,431 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,686, and the median income for a family was $35,258. Males had a median income of $31,475 versus $20,390 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,264. About 12.20% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities
  • Bakers
  • Baldwin Ford
  • Black Hawk
  • The Bluff
  • Cedar Bluff
  • Claxton
  • Cobb
  • Cresswell
  • Crider
  • Crowtown
  • Enon
  • Farmersville
  • Flat Rock
  • Friendship
  • Fryer
  • Harper Ford
  • Hopson
  • Lake Shore
  • Lewistown
  • McGowan
  • Midway
  • Needmore
  • Otter Pond
  • Pumpkin Center
  • Quinn
  • Rufus
  • Shady Grove
  • Smith Ford
  • Tom Gray Ford
  • White Sulphur

Politics
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[10]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 75.4% 4,507 21.1% 1,260 3.5% 208
2012 66.6% 3,904 31.6% 1,852 1.8% 104
2008 62.4% 3,866 35.7% 2,212 2.0% 121
2004 64.0% 4,066 35.4% 2,245 0.6% 38
2000 57.7% 3,161 40.6% 2,223 1.8% 98
1996 40.1% 2,067 47.2% 2,434 12.7% 654
1992 34.8% 1,966 53.1% 3,000 12.1% 685
1988 52.9% 2,952 46.0% 2,564 1.1% 61
1984 55.9% 3,162 42.9% 2,427 1.1% 64
1980 46.2% 2,609 51.8% 2,924 2.0% 112
1976 36.9% 1,808 61.6% 3,016 1.5% 75
1972 66.3% 2,952 30.2% 1,345 3.5% 154
1968 42.2% 2,139 28.4% 1,439 29.4% 1,487
1964 37.8% 1,738 61.6% 2,831 0.6% 29
1960 61.7% 3,442 38.3% 2,137 0.0% 0
1956 52.3% 2,681 47.2% 2,417 0.5% 26
1952 53.9% 2,507 45.9% 2,133 0.2% 10
1948 39.3% 1,626 53.5% 2,210 7.2% 298
1944 47.7% 2,242 52.0% 2,444 0.2% 10
1940 43.8% 2,246 55.7% 2,858 0.5% 26
1936 43.8% 2,121 55.7% 2,699 0.6% 28
1932 40.1% 2,020 59.0% 2,971 1.0% 48
1928 62.6% 2,855 37.2% 1,695 0.2% 10
1924 51.5% 2,498 45.0% 2,183 3.6% 174
1920 51.1% 2,958 47.4% 2,746 1.5% 88
1916 50.0% 1,672 48.0% 1,605 2.0% 66
1912 42.6% 1,263 41.5% 1,231 15.9% 470
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See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-06-30.

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