"Springfield Courthouse, Built in 1816" (1935)
United States Department of Interior, National Park Service, American Buildings Survey, Kentuckiana Digital Library

The Courthouse

Washington County's County Courthouse, located in Springfield, is Kentucky's oldest hall of justice still in use. Actually the third courthouse built, the two-story building of Georgian style with a peaked roof was built for $2,500 in 1816.

"Albert Wood of Washington Co. and His Grand Champion Calf at the Last Annual 4-H Club Stock Show and Sale, Louisville."
C. Frank Dunn Photographic Collection, Kentuckiana Digital Library

"The Lincoln Marriage Cabin"
C. Frank Dunn Photographic Collection, Kentuckiana Digital Library

Washington County Websites

"St. Catherine's Academy Near Springfield" (ca. 1920)
Kentucky Historical Society

Oldest Catholic Educational Institutions West of the Alleghenies

St. Rose Priory, founded in 1806 in Springfield, was the first Catholic educational institution west of the Alleghenies. Among its students was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. Near the Priory is St. Catharine's. Established in 1822, it is the first community of the Dominican Sisters in the U.S. It is today the Mother Community of the Order and the home of the St. Catharine College.

For help with Washington County Research, use KDLA's Ask a Librarian email reference service.

County of the Month: Washington

Washington County was formed in 1792, the same year that Kentucky was given its state status, making it the first county formed by the Kentucky legislature. It was named for President George Washington. Springfield was established as its county seat the following year (1793), named for the area's many springs.

The first settlers in Washington County were Revolutionary War veterans who received land grants as payment for military service. The fertile land and pastures made the area ideal for farming and hunting. Corn was the main cash crop of these early settlers, but they also depended upon salt from springs and raising livestock.

In its early years, Washington County's population grew at an enormous rate; by the early 1800's, the population was tallied at nearly 16,000. Its growth is partially attributed to its location on the trace which connected Danville and Bardstown. The county acquired its first covered bridge, one of the longest multi-span bridges in Kentucky, in 1834¹, and its first turnpike, connecting Springfield to Louisville, in 1837.

1. Sources do not agree on this date.

Source: The Kentucky Encyclopedia

Washington County Trivia

Louis Sansbury

In 1833, a cholera outbreak raged through the town of Springfield. While many residents fled the area for fear of contagion, Louis Sansbury, a slave of the city's hotelkeeper, helped save the community by remaining to tend to the sick and bury the dead. He was so trusted, many residents left keys to their businesses with Sansbury for him to tend to while they were gone.

So grateful were they, that upon return, they purchased his freedom and built a livery stable for him to operate.

"First Family"

Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln, parents of the 16th president, were married in Washington County on June 12, 1806. The site, now known as the Lincoln Homestead Park, includes a replica of the cabin where Thomas Lincoln was raised, the actual two-story log home where Nancy Hanks lived with her aunt and uncle, and a home built by Mordecai Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's uncle.

Source: "Our Towns: Springfield." Series by the Louisville Courier-Journal. June 1, 1992.

Family History and Washington County Research Resources

Below are some resources available at KDLA for genealogists and researchers interested in the Washington County area.

County Clerk records

Agency history
General cross index to deeds - 1792-1905 and 1966-1976
General index to deeds - grantee - 1792-1860, 1905-1966, and 1970-1985
General index to deeds - grantor - 1792-1860, 1905-1966, and 1970-1985
Deed books - 1792-1995
Commissioner's deed books (indexed) - 1833-1851 and 1877-1960
General cross index to marriages - 1792-1826 and 1914-1989
Marriage bond books - 1845-1849, 1855-1914, and 1926-1942
Marriage books - 1792-1826, 1836-1855, and 1914-1996
Marriage registers (indexed) - 1792-1826 and 1830-1914
Freedmen's declaration of marriage - 1866-1872
Order books (indexed) - 1792-1914 and 1945-1961
Record of encumbrance on real estate books (indexed) - 1896-1961
General index to recorded instruments - grantee - 1960-1999
General index to recorded instruments - grantor - 1960-1999
Tax assessment books - 1792-1809, 1811-1817, 1819-1830, 1833-1835, 1837-1875, 1879-1892, 1898-1923, 1925-1939, 1941-1945, 1947-1949, 1951-1955, 1959-1960, and 1963
General index to wills - 1949-1985
Will books - 1792-1965 and 1967-1996

Circuit Court records

Agency history
General indexes to civil and criminal cases - 1793-1943
Civil case files - 1793-1977
Criminal case files - 1946-1977

Quarterly Court records

Order books - 1930-1949

Fiscal Court records

Order books (indexed) - 1902-1996