Campbellsville
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Campbellsville is a city in central Kentucky founded in 1817 by Andrew Campbell. It is known for Campbellsville University, Taylor Regional Hospital health care system, its historic downtown, and the proximity to
Green River Lake State Park Green River Lake State Park is a park located near Campbellsville, Kentucky in Taylor County. The park itself encompasses , while Green River Lake Green River Lake is a reservoir in Adair, Taylor, and Casey counties in Kentucky lying in the ...
. Campbellsville is the county seat of Taylor County, with a geographic boundary shaped like a heart. Campbellsville celebrated its
bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
on July 4, 2017.


History


Founding

The city was founded in 1817 and laid out by Andrew Campbell, who had moved from
Augusta County Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...
, Virginia. Campbell owned a gristmill and a tavern and began selling lots in Campbellsville in 1814. Campbellsville was designated by the state legislature as the county seat in 1848 after Taylor County was separated from Green County. The city agreed to sell the public square to the county for one dollar so that a courthouse could be built.


Historic sites

Campbellsville has several historic sites as listed under Taylor County in the National Register of Historic Places listings in Kentucky. The Campbellsville Historic Commercial District includes several blocks of Main Street. The historic First Street Brewery one street over dates back to the prohibition. Which is due to open in 2021 for the first time since the 1930s. The most notable structure in this district is Merchant Tower (formally Merchants Hotel) which has Romanesque architecture. It has been listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The city's first courthouse was burned by
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
cavalry in 1864 because the Union Army was using it for barracks. After the war, a second courthouse was built on the same site. The third courthouse was built in 1965 on a property adjoining the "old courthouse" (on the aptly named Court Street). A fourth courthouse referred to as the Justice Center building was built on Main Street (along with a new adjoining county jail) in 2008. The project removed several old commercial buildings from the 300 block of East Main Street.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.65%) is covered by water. US 68,
KY 55 Kentucky Route 55 (KY 55) is a state highway in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. The route originates at a junction with U.S. Route 127 in Freedom, Russell County. The route continues through Columbia in Adair County to U.S. Route 68 in C ...
,
KY 210 Kentucky Route 210 is part of a major route from the Elizabethtown Metropolitan Area to South Central Kentucky region, and in particular to Lake Cumberland and Green River Lake. From Elizabethtown to Hodgenville, KY 210 is a local use secondary r ...
, and KY 70 pass through Campbellsville.


Climate

The climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Campbellsville 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° ...
, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.


Parks

Miller Park is the main recreational park with softball fields, tennis courts, swimming pool, playgrounds, walking track gardens, and open space. It surrounds the Pitman Creek that flows through the park. About one mile to the west, Osborne Park (named after former Mayor
Paul E. Osborne Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
) is mostly open space and
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
fields. These two recreation parks are joined by the nature trail, the Pitman Creek Trail (a Trail Town project).


Demographics

The population within city limits was 10,604 at the
2010 U.S. census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
. As of the census of 2010, 9,018 people, 3,764 households, and 2,160 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 4,114 housing units averaged 817.9 per square mile (315.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 89.11% White, 8.74% African American, 0.14% Native American 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.17% of the population. Of the 4,114 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were not families. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.80. In the city, the population was distributed as 21.8% under the age of 18, 14.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,922, and for a family was $30,643. Males had a median income of $26,672 versus $19,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,996. About 18.7% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.6% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.


Economy


Present day

Campbellsville University (the local university), Taylor Regional Hospital (the regional health care system), and the Amazon fulfillment center are the top employers. Campbellsville University (CU) published its 2016/2017 economic impact report showing an annual impact of $106,482,540. Of that, $42.9 million impact the local economy. The university's operations directly employ and support over 13.26% of all jobs in Taylor County, Kentucky. Taylor Regional Hospital (TRH) - The expanding healthcare system serves the region of 110,000 people. TRH is one of the area's largest employers. In 2016, TRH served 98,900 patients. Amazon's fulfillment center, known as SDF1, is located near the technology park. Campbellsville is home to the Heartland Commerce and Technology Park (HCTP). The park's initial tenant is an automotive components manufacturer, the INFAC Corporation. In June 2017, HCTP received a "Build-Ready" certification to attract new companies. Tourism is also part of the local economy because of nearby Green River Lake and
Green River Lake State Park Green River Lake State Park is a park located near Campbellsville, Kentucky in Taylor County. The park itself encompasses , while Green River Lake Green River Lake is a reservoir in Adair, Taylor, and Casey counties in Kentucky lying in the ...
.


Historical

In the 20th century, Campbellsville was a regional center of industry (agriculture, lumber, textiles, milling, automotive, distribution, oil and gas, light manufacturing, education, healthcare, and tourism). For decades, employment in the area was dominated by a large textile plant, formerly Union Underwear and since
Fruit of the Loom Fruit of the Loom is an American company that manufactures clothing, particularly casual wear and underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Since 2002 it has been a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Products manu ...
. It closed in 1998. Shortly thereafter, another notable employer closed, the Indiana-based
Batesville Casket Company Batesville Casket Company manufactures caskets and cremation urns. The company is a subsidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc., and is headquartered in Batesville, Indiana. The company operates three manufacturing plants in Batesville, Indiana, Chihuahu ...
. In 1969, the booming petroleum business was shut down because of environmental concerns of excess salt water disposal. In 2008, attempts failed to revitalize oil reserves because of water infiltration.


Legacy

The area is home to wood-milling companies that produce interior trim products (Cox Interior, Wholesale Hardwoods). Campbellsville Industries (CI), "The Steeple People (tm)," is the oldest and largest steeple and tower manufacturer in the United States. CI has more than 15,000 installations located throughout the United States and Canada. CI claims the record for the world's largest prefabricated church steeple at 229 ft at the First Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. Campbellsville is home to the last Druther's ( Burger Queen) restaurant in operation.


Media

Local print, radio, and TV: * The local weekly newspaper, ''Central Kentucky News-Journal'', has been published since 1910. *
WVLC WVLC (99.9 FM) is a country music-formatted radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broad ...
99.9 FM country music, Campbellsville * WCKQ 104.1 FM Adult contemporary music, Campbellsville * WGRK 103.1 Country, Greensburg * WTCO 1450 AM Rock, Campbellsville * WLCU TV, Campbellsville University


Law and government

Campbellsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Taylor County, Kentucky, United States. The Campbellsville City Council is made up of twelve elected members. During city council meetings held monthly, the mayor presides and all thirteen members have voting rights.


Education

Campbellsville is home to Campbellsville University, founded in 1906 as an academy. School districts with portions of Campbellsville include: *
Campbellsville Independent School District Campbellsville is a city in central Kentucky founded in 1817 by Andrew Campbell. It is known for Campbellsville University, Taylor Regional Hospital health care system, its historic downtown, and the proximity to Green River Lake State Park. Cam ...
*
Taylor County School District The Taylor County School District is a public school district in Taylor County, Georgia, United States, based in Butler. It serves the communities of Butler and Reynolds. Schools The Taylor County School District has two elementary schools, on ...
Campbellsville has two local public schools, Campbellsville High School and
Taylor County High School Taylor County High School is a U.S. high school (grades 9 to 12) in the city of Campbellsville, Taylor County, Kentucky. It is one of two high schools in Campbellsville, the other being Campbellsville High School. Band The band participates in ...
, for each district. Campbellsville has a lending library, the Taylor County Public Library.


Transportation

Public transportation is limited. RTEC provides public transit service that serves a 13-county area in southeast Kentucky.


Airports

Campbellsville does have a local airport, the Taylor County Airport (FAA Identifier: AAS). It is 2.5 miles from downtown Campbellsville.


Roadways

Campbellsville is accessible by two-lane roadways. The closest four-lane roadway is the Bluegrass Parkway.


Notable people

*
Sandra Blanton Sandra Clark Blanton, known as Sandy Blanton (born 1949), is an accountant from Paoli, Indiana, who served from 2007 to 2011 as a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives for the 62nd District, which includes her own Orange ...
, former member of the
Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...
; raised in Campbellsville *
Nancy Cox Nancy Cox may refer to: * Nancy Cox (virologist) (born 1949), American virologist * Nancy Cox (TV news anchor) Nancy Jane Cox is an American television journalist and news anchor for WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. She was als ...
, 1990 Miss Kentucky; Lexington television reporter; born and raised in Campbellsville *
Zack Cox Zackary Kendrick Cox (born May 9, 1989) is an American retired professional baseball third baseman. Amateur career Cox was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky. He attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School in the Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood of ...
, former Arkansas Razorback baseball player, Current professional baseball player * Clem Haskins, former college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach at University of Minnesota *
J. B. Holmes John Bradley "J.B." Holmes (born April 26, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life Holmes, born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, began to play on the varsity golf team at Taylor County High School in Campbel ...
, professional golfer *
Russ Mobley Russell Glen Mobley (November 18, 1933 – October 26, 2018), was a politician and educator based in his native Kentucky. He retired as an associate professor of theatre arts at the private Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentu ...
, state representative from 2001 to 2009


Sister cities

Campbellsville is twinned with Buncrana in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.

References


External links


Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Taylor County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Populated places established in 1817 1817 establishments in Kentucky