City of Shelbyville | |
|---|---|
 Main Street | |
| Nickname: "American Saddlebred Capital of the World"[1] | |
| Motto: "The Gateway to the Bluegrass"[2] | |
 Location of Shelbyville in Shelby County, Kentucky. | |
| Coordinates:38°12′26″N85°13′48″W / 38.20722°N 85.23000°W /38.20722; -85.23000 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Shelby |
| Established | 1792[3] |
| Incorporated | 1846[3] |
| Named after | Gov.Isaac Shelby[4] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council government |
| • Mayor | H. Troy Ethington |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.13 sq mi (23.64 km2) |
| • Land | 8.96 sq mi (23.21 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2) |
| Elevation | 771 ft (235 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,282 |
• Estimate (2022)[7] | 17,565 |
| • Density | 1,928.7/sq mi (744.69/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 40065-40066 |
| Area code | 502 |
| FIPS code | 21-70050 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405455[6] |
| Website | shelbyvillekentucky |
Shelbyville is ahome rule-class city[8] in and thecounty seat ofShelby County, Kentucky, United States.[9] The population was 17,282 at the 2020 census.
The town of Shelbyville was established in October 1792 at the first meeting of the Shelby County Court after local landownerWilliam Shannon agreed to surrender 50 acres (20 ha) of his property to the community and provide 1 free acre for public buildings.[10] As a result of the grant, Shelbyville, rather than the nearbySquire Boone's Station, became the home ofShelby County.[4] The agricultural town was situated on the western bank ofClear Creek at the confluence ofMulberry Creek and near a road betweenLouisville andFrankfort. The town required new residents to construct a 1½-story log cabin with a stone chimney; by 1795, there were 40 of these and, by 1800, there were 262 residents residing inShelbyville. New lots were platted in 1803, 1815, and 1816.[10]
The Shelbyville Academy was established in 1798 at Eighth and Washington; it became Shelby College and moved to College Street in 1836,[10] affiliated with theEpiscopal Church in 1841,[11] changed its name to the St. James College after theCivil War, and closed in 1871. It was replaced by a public elementary school.
The Science Hill Female Academy was established in 1825 on Washington Street; it functioned as a college preparatory school for young women throughout the South prior to closing in 1939 at the end of theGreat Depression. The Shelbyville Female Seminary was established in 1839 and moved to its longtime residence at Seventh and Main in 1846. It became the Shelbyville Female Institute in 1849, the Presbyterian Stuart's Female College in 1851, the Shelbyville Female College in 1868, and the Baptist Shelbyville College from 1890 until its closure in 1912.
TheLouisville and Shelbyville Turnpike was completed in the 1830s, following a ridgeline path between the two sites dating back to theNative Americans.[12] After theLouisville and Frankfort Railroad was constructed near the road in present-dayCherokee Gardens in 1849, the turnpike company rerouted and constructed a new road nearby (originally known as the "Shelbyville Branch", now Lexington Avenue inLouisville) which was completed in 1851.[13]
Late in theCivil War, on August 24, 1864,Confederate guerillas under local sympathizerCapt. Dave Martin attacked the Shelby County Courthouse, attempting to seize its cache of muskets. The local merchant Thomas McGrath and tailor J.H. Masonheimer fought them off, killing three of Martin's men. A black man named Owen was also killed in the exchange, having been forced to hold the guerillas' horses for them. Martin himself missed the gunfight, as he was held up outside the jail behind the courthouse when the jailer's wife Mrs. Burnett began furiously scolding him for endangering the lives of innocent townspeople including Martin's own wife and children. Following the raid, the trustees required all white male residents over the age of 18 to serve as police guards, erecting a blockhouse at Fifth and Main in front of the courthouse to serve as a headquarters.[10]
In response to the slaughter of 35Union cowboys by Confederate guerrillas in Shelby County and toWilliam Clarke Quantrill's entrance into Kentucky,Gen.John Palmer placed 30 members of the Shelby County Home Guard and its captain Edwin Terrell on the federal payroll on April 1, 1865. The men roamed Shelby and its surrounding counties, persecuting Confederate guerrillas and Southern sympathizers. The Shelbyville trustees aimed to encourage them to stay close to the city, though, paying their hotel bills when they were in town. On May 10, Terrell and his men found Quantrill's raiders at a barn outsideWakefield inSpencer Co. and fatally shot their leader. The city came out to cheer the men upon their return and the trustees continued paying their room and board for another month after the U.S. Army paid off and disbanded the troupe on May 26.[10] The threat of raiding over, the blockhouse was demolished by September. By that time, Capt. Terrell and his lieutenant Harry Thompson had murdered and robbed an Illinois stock merchant named William R. Johnson. Over the next year, the local jury could not return a verdict. Terrell was transferred toTaylorsville to be tried for a separate shooting, but broke jail with two companions on May 26 and returned to Shelbyville to go drinking in its saloons. The town marshal George Caplinger organized a posse and took Terrell by surprise outside the Armstrong Hotel, shooting him in the spine, killing his relative John R. Baker, and fatally wounding bystander Merrett Redding. Taken to Louisville, Terrell avoided trial owing to the gravity of his wound and returned home toHarrisonville in October. On the 23rd of that month, Harry Thompson broke jail as well and, according to local lore,fled to Texas and lived out his days as the successful farmer "Henry T. Grazian". The surgery in 1867 to remove the bullet from Terrell's back was unsuccessful, though, and he died soon thereafter, aged 22.[10]
The agricultural community – principally producing corn, hemp, tobacco, wheat, pork, and beef[14] – experienced a boom after the war. TheShelby Railroad Company connected the town toAnchorage in 1870,[14] reaching the mainline of theLouisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad. Downtown Shelbyville expanded and gained many large, ornate buildings, especially during the rebuilding following a large fire in 1909. The oldest remaining banks were also organized during this time. The late 19th Century also saw a public water system, electricity, and libraries brought to the town.
Following theSpanish–American War, 116 men from Shelbyville made up Company C of the161st Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which made up part of theoccupation force inCuba. They were stationed atCamp Columbia just outsideHavana from December 17, 1898, until March 29, 1899.[15]
In 1911, a mob of twenty men stormed the county jail andlynched threeAfrican Americans. One was convicted of murdering an African American woman and the other two accused of annoying white girls.[16]
Interstate 64 was built 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the city in 1960 and helped the area become more industrialized; there are now three industrial parks on the west side of the city. The population increased from 4,525 in 1960 to over 10,000 by the year 2000.
Shelbyville is located onU.S. 60 near the center ofShelby County and north ofInterstate 64. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (20 km2), of which 7.6 square miles (20 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.92%) is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Shelbyville has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviatedCfa on climate maps.[17] On January 19, 1994, the temperature fell to −37 °F or −38.3 °C, which reading holds the record for Kentucky's lowest daily minimum.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 262 | — | |
| 1810 | 444 | 69.5% | |
| 1830 | 1,201 | — | |
| 1840 | 446 | −62.9% | |
| 1860 | 811 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,180 | 168.8% | |
| 1880 | 2,393 | 9.8% | |
| 1890 | 2,679 | 12.0% | |
| 1900 | 3,016 | 12.6% | |
| 1910 | 3,412 | 13.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,760 | 10.2% | |
| 1930 | 4,033 | 7.3% | |
| 1940 | 4,392 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 4,403 | 0.3% | |
| 1960 | 4,525 | 2.8% | |
| 1970 | 4,182 | −7.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,329 | 27.4% | |
| 1990 | 6,238 | 17.1% | |
| 2000 | 10,085 | 61.7% | |
| 2010 | 14,045 | 39.3% | |
| 2020 | 17,282 | 23.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 18,048 | [18] | 4.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] | |||
As of thecensus[20] of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.5 inhabitants per square mile (514.9/km2). There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 544.4 per square mile (210.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.97%White, 16.35%African American, 0.33%Native American, 0.53%Asian, 0.33%Pacific Islander, 4.99% fromother races, and 2.51% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 9.51% of the population.
There were 3,822 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,607, and the median income for a family was $44,481. Males had a median income of $30,913 versus $24,710 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,461. About 12.5% of families and 15.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Public education in Shelbyville is administered by Shelby County Public School District, which operatesMartha Layne Collins High School andShelby County High School.
Shelbyville has alending library, theShelby County Public Library.[21]
Shelbyville is known as theSaddlebred Capital of the World.[1]
The city holds an annual Shelbyville Horse Show, which is visited by many famous people includingWilliam Shatner.[22] In addition, the annual Shelbyville Dogwood Festival is a renowned arts and craft festival that draws visitors
Shelbyville is home to American independent record labelSomewherecold Records.[23]
Shelbyville hosted their very first pride parade in June 2021. It was organized by a local group, Shelby County Pride Committee.[24]
Shelbyville is home to two distilleries,Jeptha Creed Distillery andBulleit. Jeptha Creed first opened to the public in 2017 and produces bourbon, vodka, andmoonshine. Bulleit, a $140 million distillery was built by international beverage companyDiageo in 2018 and has 30 full-time employees.
In November 2024, GovernorAndy Beshear and executives from Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing, a subsidiary ofCanadian Solar, announced a $712 million investment in the Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing plant, which is the largest economic development project in Shelby County history. This project will create 1,572 high-tech jobs and includes a one-million-square-foot facility for manufacturing battery cells, modules, and packaging.[25][26][27]
Shelbyville has onesister city, as designated bySister Cities International:[28]
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Municipalities and communities ofShelby County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
City ofLouisville andmetro area | ||
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