Russellville, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 36°50′33″N 86°53′34″W / 36.8425, -86.89278
Russellville
Location in the state of Kentucky
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Logan
Settled	Cook's Station, 1790
Incorporated	Russellville, 1801
Government
- Mayor	Gene Zick
Area
- Total	10.6 sq mi (27.6 km²)
- Land	10.6 sq mi (27.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	594 ft (181 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	7,149
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code	42276
Area code(s)	270
FIPS code	21-67512
GNIS feature ID	0502534
Website: http://www.russellvilleky.org

Russellville is a city in Logan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Logan County. It is named for General William Russell,^[1] a Revolutionary War soldier and frontier leader.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Notable natives and residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Russellville is located at 36°50′33″N, 86°53′34″W (36.842601, -86.892661)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.6 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 7,149 people, 3,064 households, and 1,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 672.1 people per square mile (259.4/km²). There were 3,458 housing units at an average density of 325.1/sq mi (125.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.64% White, 18.62% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.

There were 3,064 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,647, and the median income for a family was $31,448. Males had a median income of $27,529 versus $20,032 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,654. About 17.1% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.0% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Between its settling around 1790 and its incorporation in 1798, Russellville has been variously known as Cook's Station, Logan Court House, Rogues’ Harbour, and Big Boiling Spring. The name Russellville was chosen in honor of Revolutionary War general William Russell. It is the county seat of Logan County, one of Kentucky's original counties. Many of the homes in the downtown area are on the historic registry.

[edit] The Russellville Convention

Main article: Confederate government of Kentucky

During the Civil War, the Russellville Convention met in Russellville to establish Kentucky's Confederate government.

[edit] Jesse James bank robbery

The bank robbed by the Jesse James gang in Russellville in 1868

Jesse James's gang, before he was a member of it, robbed the Southern Deposit Bank in Russellville on March 20, 1868. A bank on Russellville's city square with historical ties to the original bank has a large mural in the lobby depicting the robbery. The robbery is reenacted each year during the Tobacco and Heritage Festival.

[edit] The Russellville girl ghost

As with many ghost stories, the exact details of the Russellville girl ghost are disputed, but the most common telling involves a girl who wanted to go to a dance. Her usually-strict parents agreed to let her go, only if the weather was fair. While the girl got dressed and primped, the sky grew dark and ominous. When she headed downstairs, she found her parents waiting. They rescinded their permission on account of the storm. Furious, the girl stormed back upstairs to her room, ran to the window, and cursed God for the bad weather, whereupon a bolt of lightning came through the window, killing her. Many claim that on stormy nights, you can still see the silhouette of the girl in the window, cursing God.^[4]

Instead of cursing God, other variations have the girl nervously waiting for her boyfriend to arrive in the storm or taking a bath near the window. These variations also may have the ghost taking off her dress or simply sitting in the window.^[5] Whatever the case, subsequent owners painted over and eventually boarded up the window in an effort to discourage gawkers. While some claim the boarding of the window effectively blocked the image, others claim it can still be seen through the boards. Though the name of the girl has been lost to history, one version of the tale claims that she is buried in the nearby Maple Grove Cemetery. The house remains the private residence of the cemetery's sexton.