Beckham County, Kentucky facts for kids

Imagine a county that existed for only a short time! Beckham County, Kentucky was a special area created by the Kentucky General Assembly (the state's lawmaking group) on February 9, 1904. It was located in the northeastern part of Kentucky. This new county was made from parts of three other counties: Carter, Elliott, and Lewis. The main town, or "county seat," was Olive Hill. But Beckham County didn't last long. It was officially closed down by the Kentucky Court of Appeals on April 29, 1904.

The Short History of Beckham County

How Beckham County Got Its Name

When the state lawmakers first thought about creating this new county, they had a few ideas for its name. At first, they suggested "Hardscrabble County." Then, they considered naming it "Goebel County." This would have honored William Goebel, who was a governor who had recently passed away.

However, they finally decided to name it Beckham County. This name was chosen to honor the person who was the governor at that time, J. C. W. Beckham.

Why Beckham County Was Dissolved

Beckham County was created by the state's lawmakers, but it didn't follow all the rules. A man named C. V. Zimmerman started a lawsuit against the county. He was being asked to pay a $75.00 debt to Beckham County. Zimmerman argued that the county was not created correctly under the state's 1891 Constitution.

He pointed out two main problems:

• Counties needed to be at least 400 square miles (about 1,000 square kilometers) in size. Zimmerman claimed that Beckham County itself, and the counties it was taken from, were left with less than this required size.
• New counties also had rules about how close their borders could be to existing county seats (the main towns of other counties). Carter County joined the lawsuit. It claimed that Beckham County's borders were too close to the county seats of Carter and Lewis counties. This broke the rule about being at least 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) away.

Carter County also argued that if Beckham County was created illegally, Carter County would unfairly lose tax money. This money rightfully belonged to Carter County.

Because of these problems, the Kentucky Court of Appeals decided that Beckham County was not created according to state law. So, on April 29, 1904, the court officially dissolved, or closed down, Beckham County.

Records and Other Namesakes

Even though Beckham County, Kentucky, existed for only a very short time, some records from that period still exist. For example, you can find marriage and postal records from when it was a county. These important historical documents are kept safe in the Carter County courthouse.

Interestingly, another place was also named after Governor J. C. W. Beckham. Beckham County, Oklahoma was created in 1907, and it still exists today!