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BHistory
History · Monticello

Monticello dates to 1801, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #69 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it

Most of Monticello was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1810.

1801founded
4on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Monticello began

When was Monticello founded?

1801

Monticello dates its founding to 1801 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 37 in 18102020 census: 5,753225 years

How historic is Monticello?

B

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Monticello’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monticello is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #69 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monticello’s overall grade.
Founding era1801, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19404.5% of homes (±2.3) · typical KY town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register4 listings, 14 historic buildings, 24.3 per 10,000 residents · typical KY town 29.9 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 59%
NewerOlder
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 52%

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 Monticello’s 24.3 sits near the middle of its state (46% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1801.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Monticello’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Monticello are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1830 and 1840, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 19113 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1977. Watch Monticello change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1801: 225 years of Monticello.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Monticello’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Monticello’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Monticello, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5001850190019502000205 in 1830Low: 142

Lost a third of its people between 1830 and 1840, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1810–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Monticello’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Monticello on the map, 1911 to 1977

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monticello. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Monticello on the 1911 USGS mapMonticello on the 1953 USGS mapMonticello on the 1977 USGS map1911Monticello sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Monticello.

The story

How Monticello came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Monticello.

Read it all →

Monticello was designated as the county seat when the Wayne County was formed in 1800. The first Wayne county clerk, Micah Taul, named the town after Thomas Jefferson's plantation and home; Jefferson was elected President of the United States that year. Joshua Jones, a surveyor and Revolutionary War veteran, laid out the town on 13 acres owned by William Beard. By 1810, the population numbered 27.

In the late 1800s, oil was discovered in Wayne County, creating an economic boost. Drilling began in these local oil fields in the 1880s, and was renewed in 1921 and 1922.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Monticello, 1797 to 2010

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797Born hereAlvan Cullom is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1801
    FoundingMonticello is established
  5. 1803Post officeThe Monticello post office opens
  6. 1828Born hereThomas H. Williams is born here
  7. 1829Born hereShelby Moore Cullom is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1906BuiltFairchild House is built
  10. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1932Born hereWhitey Bell is born here
  12. 21st century
  13. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 6,188
By decade

Monticello, decade by decade

Today7 recent
County Named, 1800 historical marker2014County Named, 1800 historical markerA.j. Lloyd Memorial School2013A.j. Lloyd Memorial SchoolHOTEL BREEDING2012HOTEL BREEDING2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBookHorse-hollow-cabin-ky12009Horse-hollow-cabin-ky1Wayne County Kentucky courthouse2007Wayne County Kentucky courthouseKYMap-doton-Monticello2004KYMap-doton-Monticello
On the National Register

4 listings protect 14 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
14
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Monticello Historic Commercial District
Hotel BreedingFairchild House, built 1906Wayne County High SchoolMonticello Historic Commercial District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Queen Anne1
Hotel BreedingColonial Revival
Fairchild HouseQueen Anne · Built 1906
Wayne County High SchoolBuilding
All 4 listings
Monticello Historic Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 1982

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Monticello

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Shelby Moore CullomAmerican politician · b. 1829
Whitey BellAmerican basketball player · b. 1932
A
Alvan CullomAmerican politician · b. 1797
T
Thomas H. WilliamsAmerican politician and lawyer · b. 1828
Martin MassengaleAmerican academic · b. 1933
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Monticello’s post office has been open since 1803.

Gone or out of use
Beech Valley Baptist Churchchurch
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Monticello
AlexanderBenjamin CoffeyElk SpringFrisbie

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Monticello’s history

What year was Monticello founded?

In 1801, according to Wikidata. Monticello’s post office opened in 1803, and the census of 1810 counted 37 people here.

How does Monticello rank for history?

Monticello is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Monticello?

4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the Monticello Historic Commercial District, with 11 contributing buildings. 14 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Monticello?

5% of Monticello’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (7), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.