Nicholasville dates to 1798, and 30 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #61 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Nicholasville was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. 30 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 49 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Nicholasville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Nicholasville is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Nicholasville’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 Nicholasville’s 30.1 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 97 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1798.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Nicholasville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nicholasville was founded by European Americans in 1798, after the American Revolutionary War, and incorporated in 1837. The town was named in honor of Colonel George Nicholas, a father of the Kentucky Constitution in 1792.
The Young House in Nicholasville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city has grown rapidly since the late 20th century and is working to accommodate new highways and transportation needs. Many residents commute to Lexington for work. Others are part of building Nicholasville as a center of retail services for the county.
Passages that mention Nicholasville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Jessamine County, Kentucky, from its earliest settlement to 18981898 · page 85Read the page →
Read the text
Section i. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, that the trustees of the town of Nicholasville. in the county of Jessamine, shall have power to levy a tax on the real property in said town, in proportion to the value of lots, not exceeding one hundred cents for every hundred dollars; and the trustees, or a majority of them, shall have power to cause an assessment to be made of the lots in said town, in order to enable them to tix tlie sum to he paid l)y the proprietors or
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Jessamine County, Kentucky, from its earliest settlement to 18981898 · page 100Read the page →
Read the text
to take formal action upon the celebration of the Fourth of July for that year. The following co]iy of the doings of that meeting Avill show the character and nature of the ceremony : At a meeting of the citizens of Nicholasville on the 12th of June, 1802, Maj. Benjamin Netherland in the chair, Col. John Price, secretary, it was resolved, that the 26th anniversary of the Independence of our beloved country be celebrated on the Fourth of July next in Nicholasville. Thereupon, a committee of ar-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Nicholasville, 1798 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Nicholasville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1952Nicholasville 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 Nicholasville.
Every building
Nicholasville, building by building, 1886–1909
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.
In 1798, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Nicholasville’s post office opened in 1806, and the census of 1810 counted 158 people here.
How does Nicholasville rank for history?
Nicholasville is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #61 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 Nicholasville?
30 listings: 27 buildings, among them the George I. Brown House (listed 1977, the first), 2 historic districts, the Nicholasville Historic District and the Canewood Farm, with 49 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 object. 97 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Nicholasville?
4% of Nicholasville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (16), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (31), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
![to take formal action upon the celebration of the Fourth of July for that year. The following co]iy of the doings of that meeting Avill show the character and nature of the ceremony : At a meeting of the citizens of Nicholasville on the 12th of June, 1802, Maj. Benjamin Netherland in the chair, Col…](https://images.townratings.com/story/7015/bk-00553d973931c9ef-l.jpg)
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