Post by benotforgot on Feb 20, 2006 22:33:25 GMT -6
GREEN COUNTY. Green County, the sixteenth in order of formation, is located in south-central Kentucky, bordered by Adair, Hart, Larue, Metcalfe, and Taylor counties, and has an area of 289 square miles. Green County was formed from portions of Lincoln and Nelson counties on December 20, 1792, with GREENSBURG as its county seat.
The county was named in honor of Gen. Nathanael Greene, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Known as the "Quaker general," Greene was an American commander at Boston, Long Island, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and several other engagements. In 1780 he was appointed commander of the southern theater of operations; he and his troops forced the British out of the Carolinas and toward surrender at Yorktown in 1781.
The topography of Green County is hilly. Approximately 80 percent of the county is farmland, about a third of which is forested. There are numerous streams. Green River, which flows through the central portion of Green County, is the largest water source. Several important creeks also flow through the county, among them Brush, Pittman, and Russell creeks and the Little Barren River.
The history of the Green County area before the first pioneer settlements can be traced through the many artifacts from burial mounds and small village sites left by the Indians who lived and hunted there. The first pioneers in Green County were a group of Long Hunters who explored the region in 1770. The first permanent settlers came from Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Some of the early settlers were veterans of the Revolutionary War who received land grants as payment for their war service to Virginia.
Among the pioneer stations established were Pittman's Station, two miles from Greensburg on Pittman's Creek; Skagg's Station, at the present site of Somersville; and Glover's Station, at the present site of Greensburg. About eight miles east of Greensburg, on the Columbia road, is the site of Gray's Station, erected around 1790.
Green County was the scene of frequent military activity during the Civil War. As the war progressed, guerrilla raids became frequent. In October 1863 a large Confederate guerrilla force occupied Greensburg and terrorized its residents. On November 19, 1864, six Confederates were executed near Osceola in the western part of the county by order of Union Gen. Stephen Burbridge in retaliation for the murder of two Union men.
Camp Ward, a Union recruitment station, was established in Greensburg by Gen. William T. Ward, a resident of the town. Also from Green County was Gen. Edward H. Hobson, who formed the 13th Kentucky Infantry for the Union.
In 1958 Green County experienced an extensive oil production boom; in 1959 there were over seven hundred oil wells. By 1969 over 20 million barrels of oil had been produced in the county, but after that year production declined sharply.
In Green County, an agrarian community, tobacco is the leading cash crop, and corn, hay, and vegetables are among the major crops grown. Livestock and poultry are also important to the county's agricultural economy. Many residents are employed in farm-related positions or are employed outside of the county. The industrial base of the county includes the manufacturing of clothing, wood products, and heavy construction machinery.
The population of Green County was 10,350 in 1970; 11,043 in 1980; and 10,371 in 1990.
See Kate Powell Evans, A Collection of Green County History (Greensburg, Ky., 1976); Marshall Lowe and Gary Scott, Green County Historical Fact Book (Greensburg, Ky., 1970).
The county was named in honor of Gen. Nathanael Greene, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Known as the "Quaker general," Greene was an American commander at Boston, Long Island, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and several other engagements. In 1780 he was appointed commander of the southern theater of operations; he and his troops forced the British out of the Carolinas and toward surrender at Yorktown in 1781.
The topography of Green County is hilly. Approximately 80 percent of the county is farmland, about a third of which is forested. There are numerous streams. Green River, which flows through the central portion of Green County, is the largest water source. Several important creeks also flow through the county, among them Brush, Pittman, and Russell creeks and the Little Barren River.
The history of the Green County area before the first pioneer settlements can be traced through the many artifacts from burial mounds and small village sites left by the Indians who lived and hunted there. The first pioneers in Green County were a group of Long Hunters who explored the region in 1770. The first permanent settlers came from Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Some of the early settlers were veterans of the Revolutionary War who received land grants as payment for their war service to Virginia.
Among the pioneer stations established were Pittman's Station, two miles from Greensburg on Pittman's Creek; Skagg's Station, at the present site of Somersville; and Glover's Station, at the present site of Greensburg. About eight miles east of Greensburg, on the Columbia road, is the site of Gray's Station, erected around 1790.
Green County was the scene of frequent military activity during the Civil War. As the war progressed, guerrilla raids became frequent. In October 1863 a large Confederate guerrilla force occupied Greensburg and terrorized its residents. On November 19, 1864, six Confederates were executed near Osceola in the western part of the county by order of Union Gen. Stephen Burbridge in retaliation for the murder of two Union men.
Camp Ward, a Union recruitment station, was established in Greensburg by Gen. William T. Ward, a resident of the town. Also from Green County was Gen. Edward H. Hobson, who formed the 13th Kentucky Infantry for the Union.
In 1958 Green County experienced an extensive oil production boom; in 1959 there were over seven hundred oil wells. By 1969 over 20 million barrels of oil had been produced in the county, but after that year production declined sharply.
In Green County, an agrarian community, tobacco is the leading cash crop, and corn, hay, and vegetables are among the major crops grown. Livestock and poultry are also important to the county's agricultural economy. Many residents are employed in farm-related positions or are employed outside of the county. The industrial base of the county includes the manufacturing of clothing, wood products, and heavy construction machinery.
The population of Green County was 10,350 in 1970; 11,043 in 1980; and 10,371 in 1990.
See Kate Powell Evans, A Collection of Green County History (Greensburg, Ky., 1976); Marshall Lowe and Gary Scott, Green County Historical Fact Book (Greensburg, Ky., 1970).