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Adair County, Kentucky

59 topographic sheets and 3 fire insurance atlases across 1 place.

Research this county

From the record

7 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kentucky within the United States
Adair County within Kentucky
Explore by year 1900 1922

What the record shows

  • 1 place in this county was surveyed for fire insurance: Columbia, between 1929 and 1941.
  • 3 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
  • 617 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 7 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 6 buildings and 1 district.
  • 5 of the 7 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 64 populated places in this county; 64 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

7

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Adair County Courthousebuilding197474000847
Columbia Commercial Historic Districtdistrict2017100000733
John Field Housebuilding197878001294
Dr. Nathan Gaither Housebuilding197979000956
Janice Holt and Henry Giles Log Housebuilding199797001237
Daniel Trabue Housebuilding197474000848
Zion Meetinghouse and Schoolbuilding197676000843

Digitised newspapers

5 issues

Sampled issues, machine-read from the Library of Congress scan and published page by page, so every headline and column is searchable text.

The Adair County News

Columbia, Ky., 1897 to 1987. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.

Photographs from libraries nationwide

2 shown

Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 2 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.

Pelican Courts, Eunice, Louisiana, Boston Public Library - undated
Pelican Courts, Eunice, Louisiana. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Oleander Courts, 3 mi. west of Eunice, La., Hwy. 190, Boston Public Library - undated
Oleander Courts, 3 mi. west of Eunice, La., Hwy. 190. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.

The county from the air

25 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 761 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 25 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-03-14, scale 1:23600
1950-03-14, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-03-14, scale 1:23600
1950-03-14, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-03-14, scale 1:23600
1950-03-14, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-03-14, scale 1:23600
1950-03-14, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-18, scale 1:23600
1951-04-18, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-18, scale 1:23600
1951-04-18, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-18, scale 1:23600
1951-04-18, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-18, scale 1:23600
1951-04-18, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-04-08, scale 1:24000
1960-04-08, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-05-29, scale 1:24000
1969-05-29, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-05-29, scale 1:24000
1969-05-29, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-05-29, scale 1:24000
1969-05-29, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-05-29, scale 1:24000
1969-05-29, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-12-02, scale 1:24000
1972-12-02, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-12-02, scale 1:24000
1972-12-02, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-12-02, scale 1:24000
1972-12-02, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-12-02, scale 1:24000
1972-12-02, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-03-12, scale 1:50000
1973-03-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-03-12, scale 1:50000
1973-03-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-03-12, scale 1:50000
1973-03-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-03-12, scale 1:50000
1973-03-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-04-01, scale 1:78000
1975-04-01, scale 1:78000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-04-01, scale 1:78000
1975-04-01, scale 1:78000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-04-01, scale 1:78000
1975-04-01, scale 1:78000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-04-01, scale 1:78000
1975-04-01, scale 1:78000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

5 stations, 1 gage

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

The 1950 census, district by district

27 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 1-1Magisterial District 1, Casey Creek: Magisterial District 1, Casey Creek - That part north of Casey Creek and east of State Hwy. 76
  • 1-2AMagisterial District 1, Casey Creek - That part west of State Hwy. 76 and north of Absher - Knifley Rd.
  • 1-2BMagisterial District 1, Casey Creek - That part south of Absher - Knifley Rd. and west of State Hwy. 76
  • 1-3Magisterial District 1, Casey Creek - That part south of Casey Creek and east of State Hwy. 76
  • 1-4Magisterial District 2, White Oak: Magisterial District 2, White Oak - That part east of State Hwy. 206 and north of Sulphur Creek
  • 1-5Magisterial District 2, White Oak - That part northwest of State Hwy. 206
  • 1-6Magisterial District 2, White Oak - That part south of Sulphur Creek and north of State Hwy. 80
  • 1-7Magisterial District 2, White Oak - That part south of State Hwy. 80
  • 1-8Magisterial District 3, Glens Fork: Magisterial District 3, Glens Fork- That part east of State Hwy. 55
  • 1-9Magisterial District 3, Glens Fork - That part west of State Hwy. 55 and Glens Fork - Inroad Rd. to Inroad and east of Columbia - Inroad Rd. via Gadberry and Fairplay
  • 1-10Magisterial District 3, Glens Fork - That part west of Columbia- Inroad Rd. via Gadberry and Fairplay and Inroad to south County line along Crocus Creek
  • 1-11Magisterial District 3, Glens Fork - That part east of Glens Fork- Inroad Rd. to Inroad and road from Inroad to south County line along Crocus Creek south of state Hwy. 55
  • 1-12Magisterial District 4, Gradyville: Magisterial District 4, Gradyville - That part east of State Hwy. 61 and Sparksville - Edmonton Rd. via Toria, along Harrods Fork and north of Harrods Fork
  • 1-13Magisterial District 4, Gradyville - That part west of State Hwy. 61, north of the Sparksville - Basil Rd. via Weed and east of State Hwy. 80
  • 1-14Magisterial District 4, Gradyville - That part south of the Sparksville - Basil Rd. via Weed and west of State Hwys. 80 and 61 and Sparksville - Edmonton Rd. via Toria
  • 1-15Magisterial District 4, Gradyille - That part south of Harrods Fork and east of Sparksville - Edmonton Rd.
  • 1-16Magisterial District 5, Keltner: Magisterial District 5, Keltner - That part east of Russell Creek and Big Creek
  • 1-17Magisterial District 5, Keltner - That part west of Russell Creek and Big Creek
  • 1-18Magisterial District 6, Cane Valley: Magisterial District 6, Cane Valley - That part east of Columbia - Holmes Rd. to Green River
  • 1-19BMagisterial District 6, Cane Valley - That part southwest of State Hwy. 55
  • 1-19AMagisterial District 6, Cane Valley - That part west of Columbia - Holmes Rd. to Green River and east of State Hwy. 55 to Green River
  • 1-20Magisterial District 7, Columbia: Columbia town: Columbia town - That part east of Campbellsville, Merchant, High, Fortune, Burkesville
  • 1-21Columbia town - That part west of Campbellsville, Merchant, High, Fortune, Burkesville
  • 1-22Magisterial District 7, Columbia - That part east of State Hwy. 55 and northeast of Russell Creek, outside Columbia town
  • 1-23Magisterial District 7, Columbia - That part west of State Hwy. 55 and northwest of Russell Creek, outside Columbia town
  • 1-24Magisterial District 7, Columbia - That part south of Russell Creek and west of State Hwy. 80, outside Columbia town
  • 1-25Magisterial District 7, Columbia - That part east of State Hwy. 80, and southwest of Russell Creek, outside Columbia town

Wildfire, 1998 to 2020

149 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 149 of them, burning about 1,162 acres. None started naturally and 23 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning59
Missing data/not specified/undetermined33
Arson/incendiarism23
Recreation and ceremony19
Equipment and vehicle use6
Railroad operations and maintenance5
Smoking4

The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
26 February 2000Debris and open burning142 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
7 March 2002Debris and open burning80 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
1 November 2001Arson/incendiarism80 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
17 March 1999Smoking40 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
28 November 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
28 November 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined37 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
8 March 2002Debris and open burning35 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
13 September 1998Arson/incendiarism35 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1961 to 2026

60 of 255 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 255 reports for this county, causing 7 deaths, 71 injuries and about $12,084,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind161
Hail47
Flash Flood24
Tornado13
Flood7
Heavy Rain3

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 1971Tornado (F4)not stated6 killed, 58 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
December 2009FloodBreeding1 killed, $10,000A fatality occurred near Casey Creek the evening of December 8th. A man was killed as he attempted to rescue his wife who was trapped in high water.
March 1997Tornado (F3)Cane Vly7 hurt, $3,000,000no account filed
April 1991Thunderstorm Windnot stated6 hurtno account filed
April 1998Tornado (F3)Portland$3,000,000no account filed
March 2012HailColumbia$1,500,000An extensive hail storm brought widespread damaging hail to Adair County with insurance claims for automobiles and homes expected to exceed 1 million dollars. In Columbia, over 150 skylights at a Wal-Mart were smashed. A lengthy swath of hail fell from a supercell thunderstorm that traveled from Nell, over 10 miles southwest of Columbia, through Columbia. Extensive damage to windows, siding, roofs and gutters was noted along a west to east path along State Highway 80 southwest of Columbia, and near the intersection of State Highways 704 and 55 just south of town.
November 2018Tornado (EF1)Cane Vly$750,000This skipping tornado first touched down along Campbellsville Rd near the community of Cane Valley, where it downed power lines as it snapped tree limbs and uprooted several large trees. Moving eastward over open fields, it tore most of the roof off a barn at the end of Doug White Road, plastering insulation from the barn onto the northeast side of the adjacent home. To the north of the barn and home, it tossed a 1500 lb. hay roll southeast over a fence. From here, the tornado raced east-northeast over more fields, where it snapped the tops off a few trees before it hit the next farm, at Milky Way Lane on Mt. Carmel Road. Here it destroyed one large outbuilding and tore much of the roof off another in addition to destroying two small grain hoppers. Flying debris damaged at least two other buildings and vehicles, with roofing debris scattered a quarter of a mile to the northeast. Across the road from these buildings, the tornado tore the roof off and partially collapsed the wall of another large outbuilding. Flying debris from this building damaged another outbuilding, while columns on the southwest-facing front porch of the farm home were blown out as the porch roof was briefly elevated.||The tornado continued eastward, snapping the trunks of several large trees along Butler Creek and damaging carports and a metal outbuilding along Holmes Bend Rd and Turkey Trace. Again moving over open land, the final two buildings damaged were metal outbuildings on Willis Rd and near the intersection of West Egypt Rd and Knifley Rd. It also toppled the sign of the Green River Bait and Grocery before lifting as it crossed Knifley Rd.
May 1998Tornado (F2)Pellyton$300,000no account filed
April 2015Tornado (EF1)Glens Fork$150,000An NWS Storm Survey found that the tornado first touched down 6 miles southeast of Columbia along Dale Morrison Road. Numerous trees were uprooted, a 145-foot barn was destroyed, and the top sheared off an adjacent silo. The tornado then moved east into a wooded area, snapping and uprooting trees. It damaged three more barns and uprooted more trees along Montpelier Rd. A home near the intersection of Montpelier Rd and Old Montpelier Rd sustained minor siding damage.
January 2006Tornado (F2)Columbia$150,000no account filed
May 2010Flash FloodColumbia$100,000Numerous roads across the county were closed due to flash flooding. A total of eight to ten inches of rain fell across Adair county from May 1-2.
January 2006Tornado (F1)Pellyton$75,000no account filed
March 2004Thunderstorm WindColumbia$60,000A large tool shed was blown down on Sand Lick Road. The roof was blown off a small shed at a residence on Cane Valley Mill Road. Several trees were blown down across State Highway 80.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGradyville$50,000The county Emergency Manager reported a communications tower blown down due to severe thunderstorm winds.
January 2008Thunderstorm WindMilltown$50,000Thunderstorm winds blew a tree on to a home in the Milltown area, causing roof damage. High winds tore the roof off a mobile home on Sanders Ridge Road. Thunderstorm winds also downed numerous trees and power lines.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindColumbia$50,000no account filed
June 2019Thunderstorm WindGadberry$30,000Multiple trees and power lines were reported down across the southern half of Adair County.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindColumbia$30,000A trained spotter reported roof damage to a business in the area from severe thunderstorm winds.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindBliss$30,000An Adair County law enforcement official reported a roof was blown off a house due to severe thunderstorm winds.
November 2000Thunderstorm WindCountywide$30,000no account filed
June 1964Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1961Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 2016Thunderstorm WindColumbia$20,000Local law enforcement reported trees down across multiple locations along with damage to a mobile home.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindGradyville$20,000A public report was received of a tree down on a trailer due to severe thunderstorm winds.
October 2014HailHolmes$20,000A boater at the Holmes Bend Marina on Green River Lake reported that 1.75 inch hail damaged the covers of some boats.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindColumbia$20,000no account filed
May 2018Thunderstorm WindColumbia$15,000A tree caught fire after knocking down a power line on Harvey Street.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindColumbia Ludot Arpt$15,000Trees and power lines down on Edmonton Road outside of Columbia.
January 2013Thunderstorm WindSano$15,000A barn was flattened. Nearby, a home sustained gutter damage.
February 2025Flash FloodPortland$10,000A water rescue was performed on Milltown Road.
April 2007Thunderstorm WindColumbia$10,000A barn was damaged by thunderstorm winds. Trees and power lines were downed county wide.
March 1997Thunderstorm WindWestern Parts$10,000no account filed
July 2015Thunderstorm WindKemp$5,000A law enforcement official reported that a tree fell on a telephone line due to severe thunderstorm winds.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindOzark$4,000An open equipment storage shed was blown over.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindColumbia$2,000no account filed
July 2015Tornado (EF0)Breeding$1,000This small tornado destroyed one outbuilding in addition to uprooting and snapping limbs on several trees in a very narrow path near the community of Breeding in southwest Adair County.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindColumbia$1,000A metal shed was blown away.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindGlens Fork$1,000Trees were downed and an outbuilding was blown over.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindColumbia-A tree was blocking an unknown roadway.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindBliss-There was a large tree blocking the Cumberland Parkway.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindGradyville-A tree was blown down, blocking the westbound lanes of the Cumberland Parkway.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindGadberry-A tree was blown down along Kentucky Route 55 between Columbia and Glens Fork.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindFairplay-Multiple trees were blown down in Fairplay.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindColumbia-Multiple trees were blown down in Columbia.
April 2025Flash FloodFairplay-Multiple roads were closed across the county.
February 2025Flash FloodColumbia-Numerous road closures were reported across Adair County as a result of flash flooding and high water.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindGarlin-A 61 mph wind gust was measured at the Adair County KY Mesonet site.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindGlens Fork-A tree was blown down by strong thunderstorm winds near the intersection of Kentucky Route 55 and Glens Fork Road.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindWeed-There was a tree down on an unknown road.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindGarlin-There were trees down at Bull Run and Hutchinson Road, Bowen and Greenburg, on the 200 block of Chickadee Lane, and on Knifley Road.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindOzark-There was a tree down across Reeves Road.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindCane Vly-A few trees were downed near the intersection of Knifley Road and Holmes Bend Road.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFairplay-Several trees were blown down by strong winds in Fairplay in southern Adair County.
September 2024HailColumbia-Quarter sized hail was observed in Columbia.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindElla-Trees were down, and an outbuilding was destroyed.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindCane Vly-Adair County Kentucky Mesonet site observed 51 knots.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindColumbia-Trees and power lines were downed along Hurt Street in Columbia.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindFairplay-A large garage was destroyed by strong winds in southern Adair County.
July 2024Flash FloodPurdy-The bridge over Sulphur Creek along Purdy Sano Road was destroyed by flood waters.
July 2024Flash FloodMc Gaha-Flash flooding occurred in multiple locations along Sulphur Creek, causing several roads which cross the creek to become impassable. Some roads which cross the creek were damaged by flood waters.

Mines and quarries

4 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone, Crushed/Broken3
Clay1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Neatsville ShaleClayProspect
Butler QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Patton QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Williams QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every populated place in the county

64

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 1 place that was also surveyed for fire insurance comes first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

The vanished settlements of Adair County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Recorded here

Columbia, Kentucky

9 topographic sheets and 3 fire insurance atlases, 1929 to 1941

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.