Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of the Boyle and Lincoln counties. In 2001, Danville received a Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2011, ''Money'' magazine placed Danville as the fourth-best place to retire in the United States. Centre College in Danville was selected to host U.S. vice-presidential debates in 2000 and 2012.

History

Within Kentucky, Danville is called the "City of Firsts": * It housed the first

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

in Kentucky. * The first Kentucky constitution was written and signed here. * It was the first capital of Kentucky. * It had the first U.S.

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

west of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

. * It hosts the first state-supported school for the deaf. * Ephraim McDowell completed the first known successful

laparotomy A laparotomy is a surgical procedure involving a surgical incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity. It is also known as a celiotomy. Origins and history The first successful laparotomy was performed without ane ...

here in 1809, removing an ovarian tumor from a woman patient without anesthesia. * It is the home of Centre College, housing the oldest college administration building and campus west of the Allegheny Mountains. Boyle county courthouse

Danville was part of the Great Settlement Area around Fort Harrod (present-day Harrodsburg), which was first settled in 1774. The site was originally known as Crow's Station for settler John Crow, but the town was surveyed and platted by Walker Daniel, Kentucky's first district attorney, who bought near the Wilderness Road from Crow in 1783. The city was named for Daniel. The Virginia legislature officially established Danville on December 4, 1787. Between 1784 and 1792, ten conventions were held in Danville to petition for better governance and ultimately to secure independence from Virginia. In 1786 the Danville Political Club was organized. It met each Saturday night at Grayson's Tavern to discuss the political, economic, and social concerns of the day. After a state constitution was adopted and separation was confirmed in 1792, the town ceased to be of statewide importance. Its leading citizens moved elsewhere. Transylvania University was founded in Danville in 1783. It moved to

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

in 1789. Centre College was founded in 1819. Danville Theological Seminary was founded in 1853; in 1901 it became part of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Caldwell Institute for Young Ladies was founded in 1860. It became Caldwell Female College in 1876, Caldwell College in 1904, Kentucky College for Women in 1913, and merged into Centre College in 1926. In November 1806,

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, wit ...

, co-leader of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...

, visited Danville while traveling the Wilderness Road to Washington, D.C., to report on the expedition, which had returned from the Pacific Coast. In December 1806, William Clark visited his nephews in school in Danville before following Lewis to Washington. The first school in Danville for African-American children was founded around 1840 by Willis Russell, an emancipated slave of Robert Craddock, a Revolutionary War veteran. Craddock deeded a log house in Danville to Russell. He moved to the town after Craddock's death and started a school for children. The house on Walnut Street no longer stands, though what was once believed to be his house is now the Willis Russell Memorial Cabin. Russell's house stood across the street, opposite St. James African American Methodist Church. In 1842, Boyle County was formed from southern Mercer County and northern Lincoln County. Danville became its county seat. In 1850, Danville and Boyle County backed construction of the Lexington and Danville Railroad. Money ran out when the railroad reached Nicholasville.

John A. Roebling John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling; June 12, 1806 – July 22, 1869) was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and built wire rope suspension bridges, in particular the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been designated as ...

had already built towers for a railroad suspension bridge over the

Kentucky River The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. The river and its t ...

. (Roebling lived in Danville during the construction.) Despite the railroad not being completed to Danville, the county still owed the company $150,000. It completed payment on time in 1884.Fackler, Calvin M., ''Early Days in Danville'', Louisville: Standard Printing Co., 1941 In 1860, a fire devastated the city, destroying 64 buildings and causing more than $300,000 in damages. Boyle County's courthouse was destroyed; its replacement was completed in 1862. After the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

won the Battle of Perryville in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

on October 8, 1862, it appropriated many Danville buildings, including the courthouse, for use as hospitals. On October 11, a Union force drove Confederate forces from the county fairgrounds through Danville. In May 1864, the group of 250 – mostly enslaved males but including some

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom ...

– marched from Danville to nearby Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, where

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Andrew Clark allowed them to enlist In the

after some initial hesitation. Arriving with wounds inflicted upon them in route, this group was the first to enlist at this site, where 10,000 United States Colored Troops trained. In 1775, Archibald McNeill planted Kentucky's first recorded hemp crop at Clark's Run Creek near Danville. By 1889 Boyle County was one of the ten Kentucky counties which together produced more than 90% of the US yield. It was the state's largest cash crop until 1915, when it lost its market to imported

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is '' Corchorus ol ...

. From the turn of the 20th century through the 1960s, Danville was home to a thriving African-American business sector located on and around 2nd Street on the western edge of what is now Constitution Square Historic Site. The city demolished this business sector under

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

in the 1970s to provide for the expansion of Constitution Square Park. On October 5, 2000,

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...

and Senator Joe Lieberman, candidates for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

, debated at Centre College during the 2000 presidential election. On October 11, 2012, Centre College again hosted the Vice-Presidential debate, this time between Vice President Joe Biden and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Representative Paul Ryan.

Geography

Danville is located in eastern Boyle County at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.58%, is water. Danville, KY Water Tower, Feb 2014

Transportation

;Bus Blue Grass Community Action Partnership provides DanTran bus service inside Danville. BGCAP also connects Danville with

, Stanford, Junction City, and Lancaster. ;Road * US 127

U.S. Route 127 bisects Danville northwest ( Harrodsburg) to south (

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

). *

U.S. Route 150 U.S. Route 150 (US 150) is a 571-mile (919 km) long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. Route description ...

bisects Danville west ( Perryville, Springfield) to southeast ( Stanford). * US 127

U.S. Route 127 Bypass encircles the Danville from on the west and south. It runs concurrently with U.S. Route 150 Bypass from its southernmost point to the U.S. Route 150 intersection. * US 150

U.S. Route 150 Bypass encircles Danville on the west and south. It runs concurrently with U.S. Route 127 Bypass from the intersection with U.S. Route 127 to its westernmost point. * Elongated circle 33

Kentucky Route 33 Kentucky Route 33 (KY 33) is a , two-lane, north–south state highway in Kentucky managed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. KY 33 begins at US 150 in Danville and proceeds north through Boyle, Mercer, Jessamine, and Woodford count ...

enters Danville from north ( Burgin,

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

). *

Kentucky Route 34 connects Danville northeast to U.S. Route 27 and on to Lexington. * Elongated circle 37

Kentucky Route 37 connects Danville west to Kentucky Route 243 near Penn's Store. * Elongated circle 52

Kentucky Route 52 connects Danville east to Lancaster. * Elongated circle 2168

Kentucky Route 2168 connects U.S. Route 127 with Kentucky Route 34 north of Danville. ;Air Stuart Powell Field (DVK), from downtown, serves as Danville's general aviation airport. Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in Lexington, away, provides the closest commercial service. More extensive commercial service is available from Louisville International Airport (SDF), away, and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), away. ;Rail

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

operates a freight rail yard in Danville. Its Louisville-Chattanooga line intersects with its Cincinnati-Chattanooga line just north of Danville.

Climate

Danville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cfa''), with warm summers and moderately cold winters. Precipitation is abundant and well-spread, with an average of .

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 16,218 people, 6,405 households, and 3,903 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 7,180 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 10.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.9% of the population. Of the 6,405 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.83. 20.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 61.8% from 18 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. Females made up 54.4% and males made up 45.6% of the population aged 18 or older. As of 2000, the median income for a household was

US $ The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

32,938, and the median income for a family was $40,528. Males had a median income of $35,327 versus $24,542 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $18,906. About 9.4% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

FBI crime statistics for 2009 list the crime rate (per 100,000 population) for Danville as follows:

Education

;Public schools Danville Schools includes most of the city limits. It operates Mary G. Hogsett Primary School, Edna L. Toliver Intermediate School, John W. Bate Middle School, and Danville High School for the city of Danville. Boyle County Schools operates Woodlawn Elementary School, Junction City Elementary School, Perryville Elementary School, Boyle County Middle School, and Boyle County High School for portions of Danville and the remainder of Boyle County. Kentucky School for the Deaf provides education to Kentucky's deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school. A portion of Danville is in the Boyle County Schools district. ;Private schools Two private schools operate in Danville: *Danville Christian Academy *Danville Montessori School ;Colleges and universities Centre College, a nationally recognized

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...

college, is located in Danville. Danville also hosts a campus of

Bluegrass Community and Technical College Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) is a public community college in Lexington, Kentucky. It is one of sixteen two-year, open admission colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). It was formed from the ...

;Public library Danville has a lending library, the Boyle County Public Library.

Culture

On March 2, 2010, Danville voted to go "wet" (to permit sale of packaged alcohol and sale of alcohol by the drink without restriction by size of premises).

Places of interest

* Art Center of the Bluegrass is an historic Beaux Arts building, formerly the Federal Building, that is a hub for local artist activity. * Centre College is a top liberal arts college; it hosted the 2000 and 2012 Vice Presidential debates. * Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge is a nature preserve. *

Confederate Monument In the United States, the public display of Confederate monuments, memorials and symbols has been and continues to be controversial. The following is a list of Confederate monuments and memorials that were established as public displays and symb ...

was an early 20th-century statue dedicated to Kentucky's Civil War veterans, which has now been moved to Meade County. * Constitution Square is a park containing restored and recreated frontier buildings; the first Kentucky constitution was written and signed here. In February 2013, the Kentucky Historical Society erected a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

in the square to commemorate the

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

s who enlisted in the

during the

. * Crow-Barbee House is the oldest stone structure west of the Allegheny Mountains. * Danville National Cemetery contains Union soldiers who died during the Battle of Perryville. A Confederate cemetery adjoins it inside Bellevue Cemetery. * Ephraim McDowell House Museum is the house where Ephraim McDowell performed his groundbreaking ovariotomy. * Great American Dollhouse Museum is a social history museum in miniature. * Jones Visual Arts Center is a gallery and primary studio for internationally known glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell. * Millennium Park is a 126-acre park containing walking trails, baseball fields, soccer fields, softball fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, a skateboard park, a dog park, and covered shelters. *

Perryville Battlefield Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site is a park near Perryville in Boyle County, Kentucky. The park continues to expand with purchases of parcels by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves' Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund and the ...

is a park that preserves a significant battlefield of the Civil War. * Warrenwood Manor is a historic property built in a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. * Wilderness Trail Distillery produces bourbon, rye, rum, and vodka from locally grown grains.

Theater

Five venues for theatrical productions live in Danville. * The Norton Center for the Arts is a state-of-the-art host for performing and visual arts events throughout the year. * Pioneer Playhouse is the oldest outdoor theater in Kentucky, and the first theater officially designated as Kentucky's state theater. It features

summer-stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...

productions using local and nationally known artists. * West T. Hill Community Theatre is a community theater with an acclaimed company of actors. * Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center is located in Danville High School and is home to the performing arts in the Danville Schools system. * Boyle County Performing Arts Center is located in Boyle County Middle School and is home to the performing arts in the Boyle County Schools system.

Annual events

* The Great American Brass Band Festival (June) is a free, three-day outdoor festival that features performances from brass bands from throughout the country. Other events have joined the festival like picnics, wine festivals, bourbon tastings, and the Great American Balloon Race. * The Boyle County Fair (June) is a county fair. * Kentucky's

Governor's School for the Arts The Governor's School for the Arts is a regional secondary arts school sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education and the public school divisions of Chesapeake, Franklin, Isle of Wight County, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Southampton County, S ...

(July) at Centre College provides an educational springboard for young artists from around the state. * The Kentucky State BBQ Festival (September) provides good music and good food from some of the country's best BBQ pitmasters. * Harvest Fest (September) closes Main Street for a celebration. * The Forkland Heritage Festival (October) celebrates the culture of an historic community. * Perryville Battle Reenactment (October) is an authentic reliving of one of Kentucky's most significant

battles. * Bourbon Chase (October) is a 200-mile relay footrace through central Kentucky. Danville is a major exchange point.

Media and books

The Advocate-Messenger ''The Advocate-Messenger'' is a newspaper published Tuesday and Friday in Danville, Kentucky. The printed version of the newspaper is delivered by US mail. The newspaper serves central Kentucky, with distribution primarily in Boyle, Lincoln, Ca ...

'', a twice-weekly (Tuesday and Friday) newspaper, serves Danville and surrounding counties. Local radio stations include three AM stations: WDFB-AM (1170), WHBN (1420), WHIR (1230), and three FM stations: WDFB-FM (88.1), WLAI(107.1), and WRNZ (105.1). WDKY-TV was licensed to Danville but its facilities are located in Lexington. Danville and Boyle County Black history is the subject of a 2022 book published by Arcadia Press, as "African Americans in Boyle County." Martha S. Jones opens her book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, with her family story of three generations who resided in Danville. Great-great-great-grandmother Nancy Belle Graves was born enslaved in 1808. Nancy's daughter, Susan Davis, organized the Danville Domestic Economy Club for black women which encouraged voter participation and education. Susan and her husband, Sam, were both born enslaved. Fighting in the

for the Union, Sam became emancipated upon his 1864 enlistment in the 114th United States Colored Troops at nearby Camp Nelson. After the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Sam voted in the 1870 election. Their daughter, Frances Harriet Williams, organized for the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&n ...

, the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, and served as a presidential advisor.

Films shot in Danville

* '' Raintree County'' (1957) is a big-budget, epic film set during the Civil War. A short film, ''Operation Raintree'', was shot to promote ''Raintree County''. * ''

Treasure of Matecumbe ''Treasure of Matecumbe'' is a 1976 American adventure western film directed by Vincent McEveety and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was based on the novel ''A Journey to Matecumbe'' by Robert Lewis Taylor. The filming locations were in D ...

'' (1976) is a

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

family adventure film. * ''

Child of Glass A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

'' (1978) is a made-for-TV movie distributed by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

. * ''

Lawn Dogs A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

'' (1997) is a drama film released by

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

*
Summerstock
' (2002), by Robby Henson, chronicled a year in the busy, eccentric life of Pioneer Playhouse.

Sister cities

Danville has one sister city, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of " sister citie ...

: * Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Danville Sister Cities won the 2019 Innovation Award for Arts and Culture from Sister Cities International.

Notable people

The following are highly noted people from Danville. For a more complete list see List of people from Danville, Kentucky. *

James G. Birney James Gillespie Birney (February 4, 1792November 18, 1857) was an American abolitionist, politician, and attorney born in Danville, Kentucky. He changed from being a planter and slave owner to abolitionism, publishing the abolitionist weekly '' ...

Abolitionist * John Boyle (1774–1834), U.S. federal judge and U.S. Representative; Boyle County, Kentucky, was named after him * John C. Breckinridge (1821–1875), U.S. Representative and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from Kentucky,

U.S. Vice President The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...

, U.S. presidential candidate, Confederate States Secretary of War *

Neal Brown Neal Brown (born March 11, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at West Virginia University. Brown was previously the head coach at Troy University from 2015 to 2018. Brown also previously ...

, college football coach * Jacqueline Coleman, educator and

Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky The lieutenant governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garra ...

* Speed S.Fry (1817-1892) lawyer, judge, officer United States Army during the American-Mexican War and Civil War *

Jordan Gay Jordan Lane Gay (born March 29, 1990) is a former American football kickoff specialist. He has also been a punter and a kicker. Gay signed with the Carolina Panthers after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

player *

John Marshall Harlan John Marshall Harlan (June 1, 1833 – October 14, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1877 until his death in 1911. He is often called "The Great Dissenter" due to his ...

(1833–1911), U.S. Supreme Court Justice; "The Great Dissenter" * Larnelle Harris (1947-), Grammy and Dove Award-winning gospel singer and songwriter * Robby Henson, screenwriter and director * Ephraim McDowell (1771–1830), physician, first to successfully remove an ovarian tumor *

John Michael Montgomery John Michael Montgomery (born January 20, 1965) is an American country music singer. Montgomery began singing with his brother Eddie, who would later become known as one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, before beginning his major-label solo c ...

, country singer *

Theodore O'Hara Theodore O'Hara (February 11, 1820 – June 6, 1867) was a poet and an officer for the United States Army in the Mexican–American War, and a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War. He is best known for the poems "Bivouac of the Dead", ...

(1820–1867), poet and soldier * Hugh L. Scott (1853–1934), Superintendent of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, U.S. Army Chief of Staff in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the American Revolutionary Wa ...

(1750–1826), first and fifth

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

, soldier in

Lord Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War—or Dunmore's War—was a 1774 conflict between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations. The Governor of Virginia during the conflict was John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore—Lord Dunmore. He a ...

, the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, and

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

Frank X Walker Frank X Walker (born June 11, 1961) is an African-American poet from Danville, Kentucky. Walker coined the word " Affrilachia", signifying the importance of the African-American presence in Appalachia: the "new word ... spoke to the union of Ap ...

(1961-), Kentucky's first African-American Poet Laureate

Major employers

Major employers include: * AdMart (Custom-made signs) *

(Newspaper publishing and printing) * The Allen Company (Mixed asphalt) *

American Greetings American Greetings Corporation is a privately owned American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting cards, electr ...

(Distribution and packaging) * Berry Plastics (Plastics) * Burkmann Feeds (Feed manufacturing) * Caterpillar Inc. (Tractor parts) * Centre College (Education) *

Dana Holding Corporation Dana Incorporated is an American supplier of axles, driveshafts, transmissions, and electrodynamic, thermal, sealing, and digital equipment for conventional, hybrid, and electric-powered vehicles. The company's products and services are aimed ...

(Engine gaskets) * Denyo Co. (Generators) * Elmwood Inn (Teas) * Ephraim McDowell Health (Health care) * Farmers National Bank (Banking services) *

Hobart Corporation The Hobart Corporation is an American mid-market provider of commercial grocery and foodservice equipment. The company manufactures food preparation machines for cutting, slicing and mixing, cooking equipment, refrigeration units, warewashin ...

(Commercial dishwashers) *

Intelligrated Intelligrated, Inc. (a portmanteau of ''intelligent'' and ''integrated'') was a material handling Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. It uses ...

(Conveyor equipment) *

LSC Communications LSC Communications is an American commercial printing company based in Chicago, Illinois, and, as of December 2020, a fully-owned subsidiary of Atlas Holdings. The company was established in 2016 as part of a corporate spin-off from RR Donnel ...

(Offset printing) * Meggitt (Aircraft braking systems) * National Office Furniture (Furniture) * Pioneer Vocational Industrial Services (Sheltered workshop) * Pitman Creek Wholesale (Fishing equipment wholesaler) * Self Refind (Drug treatment clinics) * Sellers Manufacturing (Industrial boilers) *

The Timberland Company Timberland LLC is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoor footwear, owned by VF Corporation and founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1952. The company also sells apparel and accessories including watches, eyewear, and leather goods. Tim ...

(Distribution center) * TransNav (Plastic Injection) * Wausau Paper (Distribution Center)

References

External links

City of Danville official website

Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Danville, Boyle County Chamber of Commerce

Danville/Boyle County Economic Development Partnership

Downtown Danville: The Heart of Danville Main Street Program
{{Authority control Cities in Boyle County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States County seats in Kentucky Danville, Kentucky micropolitan area 1787 establishments in Virginia