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Prestonville, Kentucky - October 2023 - Sarah StierchPhoto: Missvain · CC BY 4.0
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History · Prestonville

Prestonville dates to 1797, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Stone House on Kentucky River. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1870.

1797founded
1on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Missvain · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Prestonville began

When was Prestonville founded?

1797

Prestonville dates its founding to 1797 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 239 in 18702020 census: 171229 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1844.The full story ↓

What stands out about Prestonville’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 Prestonville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Prestonville’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 296 in 1940; 171 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1797: 229 years of Prestonville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Prestonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Prestonville’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
The story

How Prestonville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Prestonville.

Read it all →

The site of the present city was originally part of a grant of several thousand acres to Col. William Preston of Virginia for his service during the American Revolution. The town was chartered in 1797. A post office operated from 1844 to 1849; another was opened nearby in 1880 and called Wideawake prior to its removal to Prestonville in 1893. The city was incorporated in 1867.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Prestonville, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 296

Peaked at 296 in 1940; 171 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Timeline

Prestonville, 1797 to 1957

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797
    FoundingPrestonville is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1844Post officeThe Prestonville post office opens
  5. 1880Post officeThe Wideawake post office opens
  6. 1893Post officeThe Wideawake post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 296
  9. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1957Post officeThe Prestonville post office closes
By decade

Prestonville, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Prestonville, Kentucky - October 2023 - Sarah Stierch2023Prestonville, Kentucky - October 2023 - Sarah Stierch
On the map

Prestonville on the map, 1953 to 1967

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

Prestonville on the 1953 USGS mapPrestonville on the 1967 USGS map1953Carrollton 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 Prestonville.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Prestonville

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
1987
Stone House on Kentucky River
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Greek Revival1
All 1 listings
Stone House on Kentucky RiverBuilding · listed 1987

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Prestonville

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

See all →
Robert PrinceAmerican video game composer · b. 1945
Ken MaynardAmerican actor and stunt performer · b. 1895
Kermit MaynardActor, stunt performer · b. 1897
Lydia Moss BradleyAmerican philanthropist; founded Bradley Univer… · b. 1816
Paul WolfAmerican swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, form… · b. 1915
Richard Yates13th Governor of Illinois, U.S. Senator · b. 1815
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Prestonville had its own post office from 1844 to 1957. Another post office, Wideawake, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Prestonville
1844–1957
Wideawake
1880–1893
18401930today
Gone or out of use
Port William FerrylocalePrestonville Post Officepost office

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

Questions about Prestonville’s history

What year was Prestonville founded?

In 1797, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Prestonville’s post office opened in 1844, and the census of 1870 counted 239 people here.

What is on the National Register in Prestonville?

One place: the Stone House on Kentucky River (listed 1987).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.