Welcome to Hodgenville.net

(Map and Driving Directions)

Welcome to Hodgenville.net and the proud city of Hodgenville, Kentucky. Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, Hodgenville is the county seat of LaRue County, Kentucky (pop. 13,373). Though tiny in size, Hodgenville and LaRue County have made significant contributions to American and Kentucky history and popular culture. Other significant historical figures were born or lived near to Hodgenville. General Benjamin Hardin Helm lived in Elizabethtown, ten miles to the north, and General Simon Bolivar Buckner was born in Hart County, just a few miles south of Hodgenville.

Hodgenville

Major Historical and Political Contributions

She has been the home to well-known authors, a President of the United States, a Vice President of the United States (Vice President Spiro T. Agnew). Several other influential figures in American and Kentucky life have claimed Hodgenville as home at one time or another. Infamous former Kentucky Governor Wallace Wilkinson, also known for Wallace's books, lived here as a child. Seven Congressmen have lived in Hodgenville and LaRue County. Six were born here. Five were elected to Congress while residents of LaRue County. One was elected in Oklahoma, one was elected to the Confederate Congress, and one was elected from Illinois.

Congressmen Born in LaRue County:

Congressman Thomas Austin Robertson, 1883-1887

Congressman William Brown Read, 1871-1875

Edward Wester Creal, 1935-1943

Henry English Read, 1962-1965, Confederate Congress

Samuel James Montgomery, 1925-1927, Oklahoma

Abraham Lincoln, 1847-1849

Congressmen Who Lived In LaRue County:

David Highbaugh Smith, 1897-1907

Contributions to Country Music

Hodgenville and LaRue County have made several significant contributions to country music. Home to several country music stars and two Grammy Award winners, Hodgenville has been home to two top-tens in country music as well. The Lincoln Jamboree has often been ranked among the nation's top-ten country music shows and can boast of audiences such as bus tours from as far away as Oregon. Additionally, Hodgenville is the hometown of Bobby Lewis who first cracked the top ten with his hit single How Long Has it Been in 1966.

Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln

Hodgenville and LaRue County are proud of their most famous (P)resident. During the centennial of his birth, a larger than life statue by Adolph A. Weinman was erected on the city square (a statue so admired that a replica was commissioned for the University of Wisconsin-Madison), two national historic sites remembering Lincoln were added to the National Park Service, a museum was built, and the city and county together host an annual celebration in Mr. Lincoln's honor. Many local attractions, organizations and businesses have taken him for their namesake as well.

Owing to its recognition as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Hodgenville has received five Presidents while in office: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. In addition, other guests have included foreign royalty and heads of state such as British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, presidential cabinet members such as Secretary of State Robert Todd Lincoln (eldest son of Abraham Lincoln) and many other persons of note and fame.

Lincoln spent almost the first eleven years of his life here. It was here that he buried his baby brother, first learned to read and right, and fell into the Knob Creek on Sunday while playing with his friend, Austin Gollaher. It was also here that Lincoln was first influenced by the abolitionist movement and first encountered the horrors of the slave trade as he witnessed slaves being transported along the road in front of his home. Later in life, President Lincoln would characterize Hodgenville as the place he would most like to visit and Austin Gollaher as the single man he would most like to see again.

Historical Background

LaRue County is the site of one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, home to the second oldest Baptist church west of the Alleghenies. Around 1780, Pennsylvania explorer and surveyor Philip Phillips led several pioneers into the area, and they built the first settlement in the area, a wood-enforced stronghold known as Phillips' Fort on the banks of the Nolynn River. On December 9, 1788, Robert Hodgen, one of the original settlers, received permission to build a mill on the Nolynn at what is now Hodgenville. In 1826, the City of Hodgenville was incorporated on the lands of the now deceased Hodgen at the petition of his wife and son. LaRue County would be formed in 1843.

Hodgenville and LaRue County—

By the Numbers

LaRue County comprises 263 square miles of gently rolling hills and forests in the heartland of Kentucky. Less than 15 miles from the geographic center of Kentucky, LaRue County lies in the extreme eastern portion of the Pennyroyal, an approximately 8,000-square-mile physiographic region in west-central Kentucky. The Pennyroyal is a karst region, the topography of which is produced by the dissolution of soluble limestone by water and characterized by underground streams and caves, sinkholes (dolines), small ponds, long valleys, rolling hills, and occasional steep ridges and stone escarpments. Muldraugh's Hill, a large limestone escarpment, marks the eastern boundary of the Pennyroyal, the karst region, and LaRue County. Soil fertility varies considerably with the terrain. The most fertile LaRue County areas are the watershed of the Nolin River and the bottomlands of the Rolling Fork River, which forms the county's eastern boundary.

Measured by the United States Census Bureau, LaRue County's population has grown remarkably by 12.67%. 13,373 residents claimed LaRue County as home in 2000, and Hodgenville boasted 2,874 inhabitants. About 25% of the population is comprised of people under the age of 18, while persons over 65 account for an additional 15%. Of people over the age of 25, 71% are high school graduates (today's graduation rate approaches 100%), and 10.9% have at least bachelor's degrees. Eighty percent own their own homes, the average cost of which is $72,100, and on average, those who commute drive less than 26 minutes a day to work. With a median household income of $32,000 and a per capita income of over $15,000, the poverty rate remains below the national average.

Though at one time LaRue County laid title to one of the largest distillation operations in the world, LaRue County retains a predominantly rural character; farms of fewer than two hundred acres raising crops of wheat, tobacco, soybeans, and corn are typical. The northeastern and southeastern portions of the county are heavily forested. In 1997, she reported over $25 million in manufacturers shipments and $42 million in retail sales.

Welcome to Hodgenville

As you can see, Hodgenville and LaRue County have contributed much to our society. In fact, they have contributed much more than has been listed on this introductory page. We hope you will take the time to explore the past and present of our community here at Hodgenville.net and then in person. We further hope you enjoy your visit to Hodgenville.net and that you will return to visit often. Welcome to Hodgenville.