Downtown Greensburg Historic District (Greensburg, Kentucky) facts for kids

Old Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Old Courthouse
Location in Kentucky Show map of Kentucky Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Greensburg, Kentucky
NRHP reference No.	72000533
Added to NRHP	April 10, 1972

The Downtown Greensburg Historic District is a special area in Greensburg, Kentucky. Greensburg is the main town, or "county seat," of Green County. This historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important place with many old buildings that tell a story about the past. The district has 47 buildings and sites that help make it special.

Discovering Greensburg's Past

Greensburg was first started in 1794. Before that, the area was known as Glover's Station. It was named after John Glover, who founded it in 1779. The town's name changed to Greensburg when Green County was formed. This new name honored General Nathanael Greene, a hero from the American Revolutionary War.

How Greensburg Grew

Greensburg and Green County grew very quickly. This was because they were close to the Cumberland Trace. The Cumberland Trace was an important early travel route. In 1790, Green County had about 1,000 people. By 1800, this number jumped to over 6,000. It kept growing, reaching nearly 12,000 people by 1820. The county's largest population was over 14,000 in 1840. At that time, it also included what is now Taylor County.

Buildings and Their Styles

Most of the buildings in the historic district have special designs. They are built in either the Federal or Greek Revival styles. The town and county were most active between 1794 and 1840. Because of this, many of the best buildings were built before 1840. After 1840, the population started to decrease. People began moving to other parts of Kentucky. This happened as new ways to travel, like railroads and steamboats, became more popular than the Cumberland Trace.

Even though Greensburg did not have battles during the American Civil War, the war still affected its economy. However, this also means that the original design of Kentucky's county seats from around 1800 is still mostly visible here.

The Historic Old Courthouse

The very center of the historic district has the old courthouse. This building was so important that it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by itself. This happened 31 years before the whole district was listed. It was the second courthouse for Green County.

Building a Landmark

Five men worked together to build this courthouse. They built it between 1802 and 1804. This building was used for 130 years. It stopped being an active courthouse in 1931. For some time, the Jane Todd Crawford Library was located on its second floor. This courthouse is the oldest one west of the Allegheny Mountains. The stone used to build it is called limestone. This limestone was found and cut right there in the local area.

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