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History · Mortons Gap

Mortons Gap dates to 1804, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the W. W. Kington House. Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1880.

1804founded
1on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Mortons Gap began

When was Mortons Gap founded?

1804

Mortons Gap dates its founding to 1804 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 241 in 18802020 census: 728222 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.

What stands out about Mortons Gap’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 Mortons Gap are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,308 in 1960; 728 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19123 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1963. Watch Mortons Gap change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1804: 222 years of Mortons Gap.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mortons Gap’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Mortons Gap, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,308

Peaked at 1,308 in 1960; 728 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Mortons Gap on the map, 1912 to 1963

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

Mortons Gap on the 1912 USGS mapMortons Gap on the 1953 USGS mapMortons Gap on the 1963 USGS map1912Nortonville 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 Mortons Gap.

The story so far

Mortons Gap, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mortons Gap yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mortons Gap is a home rule-class city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 728 at the 2020 census, down from 863 at the 2010 census.

Mortons Gap was established in 1804. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 863 to 728 (-16%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Mortons Gap, 1804 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1804
    FoundingMortons Gap is established
  3. 1871Post officeThe Mortons Gap post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911BuiltW. W. Kington House is built
  6. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,308
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the National Register

1 historic place in Mortons Gap

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
W. W. Kington House
W. W. Kington House, built 1911
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Italianate1
W. W. Kington HouseItalianate · Built 1911

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mortons Gap

Nobody well known was born in Mortons Gap itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Miles HeizerAmerican actor · b. 1994
Steve Beshear61st governor of Kentucky · b. 1944
Demetrious JohnsonAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1986
Terry BissonAmerican science fiction and fantasy author · b. 1942
Ruby LaffoonAmerican politician · b. 1869
Addie McPhailAmerican actress · b. 1905

Questions about Mortons Gap’s history

What year was Mortons Gap founded?

In 1804, according to Wikidata. Mortons Gap’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1880 counted 241 people here.

What is on the National Register in Mortons Gap?

One place: the W. W. Kington House (listed 1988).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.