BlockBefore

Edmonson County, Kentucky

55 topographic sheets cover 38 settlements here, and 21 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

21 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kentucky within the United States
Edmonson County within Kentucky

What the record shows

  • 626 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 21 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 10 districts, 8 buildings, 2 structures and 1 site.
  • 2 of the 21 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 38 populated places in this county; 38 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Photographs

2 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Mammoth Cave Saltpeter Works, Mammoth Cave, Edmonson County, KY
Mammoth Cave Saltpeter Works, Mammoth Cave, Edmonson County, KY
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Mammoth Cave National Park, Visitor Center , Mammoth Cave, Edmonson County, KY
Mammoth Cave National Park, Visitor Center , Mammoth Cave, Edmonson County, KY
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

21

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
Bransford Spring Pumphousestructure199191000493
Chalybeate Springs Hotel Springhousebuilding2018100002154
Colossal Cavern Entrancedistrict199191000491
Crystal Cave Districtdistrict199191000500
William Ford Housebuilding198080001506
Good Spring Baptist Church and Cemeterybuilding199191000498
Great Onyx Cave Entrancedistrict199191000490
Hercules and Coach No. 2structure197575000160
Joppa Baptist Church and Cemeterydistrict199191000496
Maintenance Area Districtdistrict199191000501
Mammoth Cave Baptist Church and Cemeterydistrict199191000497
Mammoth Cave Historic Districtdistrict199191000503
Maple Springs Ranger Stationbuilding199191000494
Mill Hole Farmbuilding197878001311
Mitchell-Estes Farmsteaddistrict199695001528
Old Guide Cemeterysite199191000499
Reed-Dorsey Housebuilding198686002866
Residential Area Districtdistrict199191000502
Superintendent's Housebuilding199191000495
Three Springs Pumphousedistrict199191000492
Mathias Willis Store Housebuilding198787000172

The county from the air

24 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 660 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 24 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, 1951-03-26, scale 1:20000
1951-03-26, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-24, scale 1:20000
1951-04-24, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-24, scale 1:20000
1951-04-24, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-05-01, scale 1:23600
1951-05-01, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-03-19, scale 1:23600
1953-03-19, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-03-19, scale 1:23600
1953-03-19, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-03-19, scale 1:23600
1953-03-19, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-03-19, scale 1:23600
1953-03-19, scale 1:23600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-12, scale 1:18000
1954-02-12, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-12, scale 1:18000
1954-02-12, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-12, scale 1:18000
1954-02-12, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-22, scale 1:18000
1954-02-22, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1958-05-15, scale 1:24000
1958-05-15, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-06-01, scale 1:24000
1966-06-01, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-06-01, scale 1:24000
1966-06-01, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-06-01, scale 1:24000
1966-06-01, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-06-01, scale 1:24000
1966-06-01, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-04-12, scale 1:50000
1973-04-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-04-12, scale 1:50000
1973-04-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-04-12, scale 1:50000
1973-04-12, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1990-03-03, scale 1:2334
1990-03-03, scale 1:2334. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1990-03-03, scale 1:2334
1990-03-03, scale 1:2334. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1990-03-03, scale 1:2334
1990-03-03, scale 1:2334. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1990-03-03, scale 1:2334
1990-03-03, scale 1:2334. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

7 stations, 4 gages

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

15 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.

  • 31-1Magisterial District 1: Brownsville town
  • 31-2Magisterial District 1 - That part east of Alexander Creek, outside Brownsville town, and Mammoth Cave National Park
  • 31-3Mammoth Cave National Park - That part in Magisterial District 1 (Remainder of Mammoth Cave National Park is in Magisterial Districtd 3, 4 and 5 Edmonson County; 6, Cave City, Barren County and 2, Horse Cave and 5, Priceville, Hart Gounty)
  • 31-4Magisterial District 1 - That part west of Alexender Creek
  • 31-5Magisterial District 2: Magisterial District 2 - That part east of State Hwy. 187 and south of State Hwy. 70
  • 31-6Magisterial District 2 - That part west of State Hwy. 187 and north of State Hwy. 70
  • 31-7Magisterial District 3: Magisterial District 3 - That part east of State Hwy. 65, outside Mammoth Cave National Park
  • 31-8Mammoth Cave National Park - That part in Magisterial District 3 (Remainder of Mammoth Cave National Park is in Magisterial Districts 1, 4 and 5 Edmonson County; 6, Cave City, Barren County and 2, Horse Cave and 5, Priceville, Hart County)
  • 31-9Magisterial District 3 - That part west of State Hwy. 65
  • 31-10Magisterial District 4: Magisterial District 4 - That part east of State Hwy. 65, outside Mammoth Cave National Park
  • 31-11Mammoth Cave National Park - That part in Magisterial District 4 (Remainder of Mammoth Cave National Park is in Magisterial Districts 1, 3 and 5 Edmonson County: 6, Cave City, Barren County and 2, Horse Cave and 5, Priceville, Hart County)
  • 31-12Magisterial District 4 - That part west of State Hwy. 65
  • 31-13Magisterial District 5: Magisterial District 5 - That part outside Mamnoth Cave National Park
  • 31-14Mammoth Cave National Park - That part in Magisterial District 5 (Remainder of Mammoth Cave National Park is in Magisterial Districts 1, 3 and 4 Edmonson County: 6, Cave City, Barren County and 2, Horse Cave and 5, Priceville, Hart County)
  • 31-15Magisterial District 6

Wildfire, 1993 to 2020

93 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 93 of them, burning about 1,822 acres. None started naturally and 24 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined24
Arson/incendiarism24
Recreation and ceremony17
Debris and open burning12
Equipment and vehicle use6
Smoking6
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
31 October 2000Arson/incendiarism584 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
30 August 1999Equipment and vehicle use400 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
11 April 1995Smoking144 acresMammoth Cave National ParkJIM LEE
31 January 2018Debris and open burning55 acresKentucky Division of ForestryDAVIS RD.
27 March 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
12 November 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
3 November 2014Recreation and ceremony50 acresKentucky Division of ForestryKY ROCK
12 April 2014Recreation and ceremony40 acresKentucky Division of ForestryJOCK ROAD

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

Storms, 1963 to 2025

60 of 222 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 222 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 5 injuries and about $1,049,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind130
Hail37
Flood25
Flash Flood20
Tornado10

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
December 2019FloodNick1 killed, $5,000On December 2, a 28 year old woman with her two children - a 7-year old and a 20-month old - drove around a Road Closed barrier blocking a flooded low water crossing on Oak Hill Road in Edmonson County, Kentucky. She accelerated, trying to ford the water. After she made it about a quarter of the way across the bridge through the water, her vehicle nosedived and began filling with water. She and her 7 year old were able to exit the vehicle. A water rescue team located the 20 month old around an hour later. The child was airlifted to a Nashville hospital. ||In the end, the woman and her 7 year old were treated locally for hypothermia, and the 20 month old died at the hospital the following day from asphyxiation due to near-drowning.
April 1991Thunderstorm Windnot stated3 hurtno account filed
April 1968Tornado (F4)not stated2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
April 2018Thunderstorm WindBee Spg$100,000A 1.5 mile wide swath of winds gusting to around 95 mph created tornado-like damage along Kentucky Highway 259 in Edmonson County. The winds, extending 3/4 of a mile north and south of Bee Spring, destroyed or heavily damaged several small outbuildings, tore part of the roof off of one home, uprooted and snapped the trunks of numerous trees, and snapped around a dozen power poles. Several other homes sustained roof damage, and wind-driven hail shredded vinyl siding on a number of buildings.
May 2010FloodBrownsville$100,000The Green River at Brownsville crested at 37.5 feet around 645 AM EST on May 5. Flood stage at Brownsville is 18 feet. Moderate flooding occurs at this level, with homes in the bottom land flooded.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindBrownsville$100,000Two barns were blown down.
April 2002Tornado (F1)Broadway$100,000Roofs were blown off several homes. 2-by-4's from buildings were stuck into the ground. Numerous trees were downed, some were snapped well above the ground.
January 2013Tornado (EF1)Rocky Hill$80,000A circulation embedded within a squall line that earlier produced an EF-2 tornado in Warren County spawned a second tornado that briefly touched down in Rocky Hill. It then lifted and touched down again around one mile to the northeast. Along its second track, which was around seven tenths of a mile, it snapped several trees within two long rows of trees along fence lines. Near the end of its path, along Louisville Road, it tore half the roof off of a home and destroyed a nearby barn.
March 2019Thunderstorm WindChalybeate$50,000A roof was blown off of a barn.
February 2018Thunderstorm WindChalybeate$50,000NWS survey crew observed intermittent straight-line wind damage in the town of Chalybeate. There was damage to fences, several trees snapped, and 2 older barns experienced significant damage. In a residential area, two large sections of trees fell on one roof, and an above ground swimming pool was blown away. Everything was facing down from west to east, indicative of straight line winds. The duration of the thunderstorm wind event was 2 minutes.
January 2002Thunderstorm WindCountywide$40,000Trees were blown down throughout the county. A garage was blown down, several storage buildings were blown away, and a propane gas tank was blown over. Winds also damaged windows and roofs on homes.
April 2002Thunderstorm WindBee Spg$35,000Windows were blown out of a car. A mobile home and a large storage building were destroyed. A tree was blown on to a car.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindBee Spg$30,000Telephone poles, power lines, and small trees were reported down along Kentucky 259 between Bee Spring and Sweeden.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindSweeden$30,000The local fire department reported a large tree down on a mobile home in Lindseyville.
April 2010Tornado (EF1)Sunfish$30,000A storm damage survey team concluded that an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds of 100 miles per hour touched down in northwest Edmonson county at 540 pm CDT Saturday April 24 2010. The 50 yard wide damage path started near Sunfish and traveled east southeast for 1.1 miles. A well built home suffered significant damage along with a shed that was destroyed. Also, several outbuildings were damaged and numerous hardwood and softwood trees were wither uprooted or snapped.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindBrownsville$25,000Power and cable lines were reported down.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindBee Spg$25,000State officials reported power lines down and damage to buildings.
April 1963Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
March 2019Thunderstorm WindArthur$20,000Part of a storage building's roof was blown off.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindRoundhill$20,000Several trees, fences, and a windmill blown down on J.O. Davis Road near Roundhill, Kentucky.
April 2010Thunderstorm WindHuff$20,000A concrete block garage was destroyed and an RV was blown over 2.5 miles southwest of Sunfish.
April 2003HailKyrock$20,000Homes and vehicles were damaged by golf ball size hail. There was also minor crop damage reported.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindKyrock$15,000A tree fell on a power line on Nolin Dam Road.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindKyrock$15,000The public reported power lines down.
March 2019Thunderstorm WindChalybeate$10,000A greenhouse was blown down.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindBee Spg$10,000Trained spotters reported windows blown out of a house.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindChalybeate$10,000Numerous large trees and power lines were reported down in the Chalybeate and Rhoda areas and near the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 743.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindSegal$10,000A trained spotter reported a 53 knot wind gust along with power outages.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindSunfish$10,000A trained spotter reported a 100 pound roof blown off a livestock building and moved 50 feet. Tree limbs 5 to 6 inches in diameter were down as well.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindWindyville$10,000An outbuilding and a home damaged in Windyville.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindCountywide$10,000Several trees were blown down across the county.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindBrownsville$5,000Trained spotters relayed pictures from a Facebook post of sign and siding damage due to severe thunderstorm winds in the Brownsville area.
March 2012Thunderstorm WindMammoth Cave$5,000A spotter in Mammoth Cave National Park reported power lines down and snapped poles.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindCedar Spg$5,000no account filed
April 2015Thunderstorm WindSegal$3,000A storm survey team found that straight line wind damage occurred with large limbs broken and snapped off. A metal roof of a barn was blown off by the severe thunderstorm winds.
April 1995HailBrownsville$1,000no account filed
April 1993HailBrownsville$500no account filed
May 2025Thunderstorm WindSegal-A tree was blown down and small hail was also observed.
May 2025HailChalybeate-Quarter size hail was estimated in the Chalybeate area.
April 2025Flash FloodHuff-State Road 70 was closed at Bear Creek due to water over the road.
April 2025Flash FloodNick-Wingfield Church Road near Ellis Cole Road was closed due to water over the road.
April 2025Flash FloodSunfish-State Road 187 was closed due to high water.
May 2024HailRocky Hill-Quarter sized hail was observed in rural portions of southern Edmonson County.
May 2024HailBroadway-Quarter sized hail was observed near Bee Spring in northern Edmonson County.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindMammoth Cave-Dispatch reported multiple trees were blown down at Mammoth Cave National Park.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindKyrock-A couple of trees were down on Nolin Dam Road. Another tree was down on Lakeshore Drive.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindBroadway-The National Weather Service in Louisville conducted a storm survey for the macroburst damage extending from western Grayson County, through Edmonson County, before ending in northeastern Warren County. ||Scattered tree damage continued through northern and central Edmonson County, with estimated wind speeds generally between 80 and 90 mph. Tree damage increased in intensity as the survey continued into southern Edmonson County, with a high density of fallen trees observed along Sulphur Road and Otter Gap Road. Wind speeds in this area were estimated between 85 and 90 mph. In the vicinity of the Edmonson/Warren County line, higher intensity damage was observed, with numerous trees down along Otter Gap Road and Aubrey Mills Road atop The Knobs. A barn at the end of Aubrey Mills Road suffered severe damage, with winds estimated at 95 mph at the barn.||All tree and structural damage was blown to the southeast along the path. This damage pattern is consistent with downburst winds, with the large scale of damage suggesting a macroburst event.
February 2022Thunderstorm WindCedar Spg-Trees blew down on Brownsville Road.
May 2022HailChaumont-Quarter-sized hail was observed just west of Park City.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindSunfish-A tree was snapped and destroyed a chicken coop in Sunfish.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindNick-A tree fell in Windfield.
May 2021Flash FloodLindseyville-There was a rapid rise in water over East Harris Road.
March 2021Thunderstorm WindChaumont-There were reports of two buildings being damaged and cedar trees blocking three lanes of 31 West.
February 2021Flash FloodSegal-The 6500 block of Highway 655 was closed due to high water in Brownsville.
December 2021Tornado (EF1)Chalybeate-This tornado formed approximately 1 mile north of Petros near Petros Browning Road and tracked northeast for approximately 26 miles before exiting Warren County and into southern Edmonson County. Civil Air Patrol assisted in surveying the tornado path in this rural part of Edmonson County. Scattered tree damage was observed from the western edge of the county to where the tornado dissipated, near Brownville Road.
December 2021Tornado (EF0)Rocky Hill-This tornado formed approximately 2.3 miles east of Rocky Hill near Goldenrod Lane and tracked northeast for approximately 1.1 miles before crossing into western Barren County. The tornado would continue approximately 9 miles into Barren County before crossing into southern Hart County. The tornado traveled approximately 7 more miles into Hart County before dissipating near Red Buck Estes Road at approximately 0154 CST. In Edmonson County, the tornado broke some tree branches before it quickly exited into Barren County.
March 2020Flash FloodChalybeate-Water was over Kentucky State Roads 743 and 655.
September 2020Thunderstorm WindLindseyville-A tree was downed on Indian Creek Road.
February 2019Flash FloodHuff-A bridge on Blackgold-Grassland Road had to be closed due to high water.
February 2019Flash FloodWindyville-Road was closed due to flooding.

Mines and quarries

8 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 8 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 7 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Clay3
Stone, Crushed/Broken2
Clay, Coal1
Coal1
Fire Clay (Refractory), Rock Asphalt, Stone, Crushed/Broken1
Fire Clay (Refractory)1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Dismal Creek Eastwall Clay PitClay, CoalProspect
Dismal Creek QuarryFire Clay (Refractory), Rock Asphalt, Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Dismal Creek West Clay PitCoal, ClayProspect
Vincent Prospect PitFire Clay (Refractory)Prospect
Bee Spring QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Park City QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Gully ClayClayProspect
Johnson Mine Clay PitClayProspect

Every populated place in the county

38

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

Everything this county holds

The complete index, with nothing left out. Each of these is a separate record with its own page: a federal survey report, or the case file that argued a property on to the National Register. Both are public domain and reproduced word for word.

Surveyed structures

2 structures

The vanished settlements of Edmonson County, the places these records name that are no longer on the map.

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.