Edmonson
County, the seventy-ninth county formed, lies in south-central Kentucky,
and covers an area of 302 square miles. It is bounded by Butler
County to the west, Grayson
County to the north, Hart
County to the east, Warren
County to the south, and Barren
County to the southeast. The population of Edmonson County was 10,357
in 1990. Brownsville, the county seat, stands at 37 11'33"N 86
16'4"W, at an elevation of 537 feet above sea level. Mammoth
Cave, the largest cave in the world, was discovered here in 1799
and established as a 51,000-acre National Park on May 22, 1936, primarily
from Edmonson County land. The Green River from the east and the Nolin
River from the north meet just north of Brownsville. In 1963, a dam
on the Nolin created the fabulous 5,800-acre Nolin River Reservoir.
Edmonson
County was named for Captain John Edmonson of Virginia, who was killed
fighting at the Battle of Raisin River on January 22, 1813. Many of
the first settlers were from Virginia. Brownsville was established in
1838 and named for General Jacob Brown. Edmonson County was created
on February 1, 1825 from parts of Grayson (1810), Hart (1819), and Warren
(1797) Counties. The "Edmonson portions" of these counties
were previously recognized as sections of Barren (1799), Hardin (1793),
Nelson (1785), Logan (1792), Lincoln (1780) and Jefferson (1780). Link
to Bill's Edmonson County Formation Chart
to see exactly how these counties were formed.
Unlike
some "burned" county seats, the original records of Edmonson
Co. have been preserved. The address for Edmonson County is:
Edmonson
County Clerk
P.O. Box 830
Brownsville, KY 42210
Telephone: (270) 597-2624
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Thursday and Saturday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
The
local library is not only a storehouse of books and periodicals related
to Edmonson County history and genealogy, but the super folks there
are a great source for all kinds of information:
Edmonson
County Public Library
503 Washington Street
Brownsville, KY 2210
Telephone: (270) 597-262
Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
