Butler County | |
|---|---|
 Butler County Courthouse in Morgantown | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°13′N86°41′W / 37.21°N 86.68°W /37.21; -86.68 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | January 18, 1810 |
| Named after | Richard Butler |
| Seat | Morgantown |
| Largest city | Morgantown |
| Area | |
• Total | 431 sq mi (1,120 km2) |
| • Land | 426 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Water | 5.4 sq mi (14 km2) 1.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,371 |
• Estimate (2024) | 12,551 |
| • Density | 29/sq mi (11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | butlercounty |
Butler County is acounty located in the US state ofKentucky. As of the2020 Census, the population was 12,371.[1] Itscounty seat isMorgantown.[2] The county was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county.[3] Butler County is included in theBowling Green, Kentucky,Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Numerousarchaeological sites are located along the Green River in Butler County. A 1989 survey found fourteen sites, many of which werea group ofshell mounds, including theCarlston Annis andDeWeese Shell Mounds.[4]
The area now known as Butler County was first settled by the families of Richard C. Dellium and James Forgy, who founded a town called Berry's Lick. The first industry was salt-making.[3]
On January 18, 1810, theKentucky General Assembly created Butler County from portions ofLogan andOhio counties. The new county was named forMajor GeneralRichard Butler, who died at theBattle of the Wabash in 1791.[3] In June of that year, the Kentucky Governor commissioned a study to locate a county seat. They selected a two-acre tract belonging to Christopher Funkhouser. This site, at first called Funkhouser Hill, was later named Morgantown. The county site has remained at that site until present times.
In 1833 a navigation plan for the Green River was initiated. As one result of this, a town was founded at Lock/Dam #3, and another at Lock/Dam #4.
The American Civil War slowed the county's growth. The county was site of a few incidents during the conflict. There was a fight near Morgantown on October 29, 1861, and a skirmish on October 30 where the rebels were encamped. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, veterans from both sides raised funds to raise a monument at the courthouse. It lists county residents who fought in the war on both sides.[5] This is one of only twoCivil War monuments in Kentucky that honor the soldiers of both sides. The Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in Morgantown, a zinc monument, was dedicated in 1907 on the Butler County Courthouse lawn.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 431 square miles (1,120 km2), of which 426 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6] It is part of theWestern Coal Fields region ofKentucky.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3,083 | — | |
| 1830 | 3,058 | −0.8% | |
| 1840 | 3,898 | 27.5% | |
| 1850 | 5,755 | 47.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,927 | 37.7% | |
| 1870 | 9,404 | 18.6% | |
| 1880 | 12,181 | 29.5% | |
| 1890 | 13,956 | 14.6% | |
| 1900 | 15,896 | 13.9% | |
| 1910 | 15,805 | −0.6% | |
| 1920 | 15,197 | −3.8% | |
| 1930 | 12,620 | −17.0% | |
| 1940 | 14,371 | 13.9% | |
| 1950 | 11,309 | −21.3% | |
| 1960 | 9,586 | −15.2% | |
| 1970 | 9,723 | 1.4% | |
| 1980 | 11,064 | 13.8% | |
| 1990 | 11,245 | 1.6% | |
| 2000 | 13,010 | 15.7% | |
| 2010 | 12,690 | −2.5% | |
| 2020 | 12,371 | −2.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,551 | [7] | 1.5% |
| US Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2021[1] | |||
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 13,010 people, 5,059 households, and 3,708 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 per square mile (12/km2). There were 5,815 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.88%White, 0.52%Black orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.60% fromother races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 5,059 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,405, and the median income for a family was $35,317. Males had a median income of $26,449 versus $19,894 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,617. About 13.10% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 4,905 | 82.53% | 965 | 16.24% | 73 | 1.23% |
| 2020 | 4,960 | 80.98% | 1,079 | 17.62% | 86 | 1.40% |
| 2016 | 4,428 | 79.41% | 947 | 16.98% | 201 | 3.60% |
| 2012 | 3,716 | 73.44% | 1,293 | 25.55% | 51 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 3,696 | 69.64% | 1,555 | 29.30% | 56 | 1.06% |
| 2004 | 4,109 | 73.66% | 1,436 | 25.74% | 33 | 0.59% |
| 2000 | 3,654 | 72.93% | 1,299 | 25.93% | 57 | 1.14% |
| 1996 | 2,531 | 61.00% | 1,260 | 30.37% | 358 | 8.63% |
| 1992 | 2,729 | 56.78% | 1,468 | 30.55% | 609 | 12.67% |
| 1988 | 3,278 | 72.22% | 1,245 | 27.43% | 16 | 0.35% |
| 1984 | 3,121 | 74.47% | 1,055 | 25.17% | 15 | 0.36% |
| 1980 | 3,129 | 70.31% | 1,274 | 28.63% | 47 | 1.06% |
| 1976 | 2,363 | 59.36% | 1,588 | 39.89% | 30 | 0.75% |
| 1972 | 2,941 | 77.03% | 835 | 21.87% | 42 | 1.10% |
| 1968 | 2,637 | 66.47% | 691 | 17.42% | 639 | 16.11% |
| 1964 | 2,429 | 60.85% | 1,555 | 38.95% | 8 | 0.20% |
| 1960 | 3,656 | 78.66% | 992 | 21.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,303 | 73.19% | 1,202 | 26.63% | 8 | 0.18% |
| 1952 | 2,996 | 71.93% | 1,157 | 27.78% | 12 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 2,494 | 67.10% | 1,105 | 29.73% | 118 | 3.17% |
| 1944 | 3,354 | 74.30% | 1,153 | 25.54% | 7 | 0.16% |
| 1940 | 3,163 | 68.40% | 1,455 | 31.47% | 6 | 0.13% |
| 1936 | 2,594 | 67.64% | 1,237 | 32.26% | 4 | 0.10% |
| 1932 | 2,586 | 59.71% | 1,736 | 40.08% | 9 | 0.21% |
| 1928 | 3,942 | 85.09% | 684 | 14.76% | 7 | 0.15% |
| 1924 | 2,644 | 68.18% | 1,177 | 30.35% | 57 | 1.47% |
| 1920 | 4,097 | 74.95% | 1,356 | 24.81% | 13 | 0.24% |
| 1916 | 2,456 | 67.34% | 1,158 | 31.75% | 33 | 0.90% |
| 1912 | 1,070 | 35.79% | 879 | 29.40% | 1,041 | 34.82% |
Like the centralPennyroyal Plateau, but unlike theJackson Purchase orBarren andSimpson Counties, Butler County was strongly pro-Union during theAmerican Civil War due to its broken, sandy terrain unfavourable for plantation agriculture,[15] although its actual level of Union volunteering was lower than more easterly Pennyroyal counties.[16] Consequently, Butler County has remained rock-ribbed Republican through the post-Civil War era; the last Democrat to carry the county wasGeorge B. McClellan in 1864, and the only Democrat to win forty percent of the county's vote since at least 1896 has beenFranklin D. Rooseveltin 1932.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[17][18] | ||
| U.S. House | Brett Guthrie (R) | KY 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Stephen Meredith (R) | 5 |
| Ky. House | Rebecca Raymer (R) | 15 |
For much of its history, Butler County's main line of transportation was theGreen River. As railroads became more important economically, the county compensated by building a series of roads to major trade centers such asU.S. 231 connectingBeaver Dam withOwensboro. Green River was eventually closed to traffic afterWoodbury's Lock and Dam Number 4 washed out in 1965 andRochester's Lock and Dam Number 3 was abandoned by theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers in 1980. Completion of theWilliam H. Natcher Parkway (nowI-165) linked the area to the national interstate system in 1970.[3]
Butler County is part of the Bowling Green radio and television markets, and is served by that city's radio and TV outlets.Mediacom is the primary cable television and internet provider serving the county.
Events include:
Geographic data related toButler County, Kentucky atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofButler County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Principal city | _Metro.png) | |
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