Barbourville was first counted by the census in 1810, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #21 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 32 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1810.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barbourville is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #21 of 142 in Kentucky. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barbourville’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barbourville’s 114 sits above most of its state (70% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 36 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.6 points).
Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Barbourville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Barbourville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Barbourville is a home rule-class city in Knox County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Barbourville had a population of 3,222. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city was formally established by the state assembly in 1812. It was incorporated in 1854 and then reincorporated in 1856. Union Commonwealth University and the Appalachian Children's Home are located in Barbourville.
Its first post office opened in 1810. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,165 in 2010, 3,222 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Barbourville, 1804 to 1990
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barbourville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1952Barbourville sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Barbourville.
Every building
Barbourville, building by building, 1913–1919
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Barbourville post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Barbourville rank for history?
Barbourville is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #21 of 142 in Kentucky. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Barbourville?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Old Classroom Building, Union College (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Barbourville Commercial District, with 32 contributing buildings. 36 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Barbourville?
18% of Barbourville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1969.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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