Hardinsburg in Breckinridge County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Courthouse Burned

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

1. Courthouse Burned Marker

Inscription. Twenty-two Kentucky courthouses were burned during Civil War, nineteen in last fifteen months: twelve by Confederates, eight by guerrillas, two by Union accident. See map on reverse side.

Dec. 28, 1864, guerrillas set fire to courthouse at Hardinsburg but citizens saved building and records. CSA came in and allowed public to keep arms for defense.

Erected 1963 by Kentucky Historical Society & Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 584.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Notable Events • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 28, 1864.

Location. 37° 46.868′ N, 86° 27.689′ W. Marker is in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, in Breckinridge County. It is on 2nd Street (Business U.S. 60) west of South Main Street (Kentucky Route 261), on the right when traveling east. Marker is located on the Breckinridge County Courthouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 208 South Main Street, Hardinsburg KY 40143, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Western Coal Field.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ohio River Valley.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: County Named, 1799 (a few steps from this marker); Breckinridge County War War I Honor Roll (a few steps from this marker); In Memory of (within shouting

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distance of this marker); St. Romuald Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Shelter for Lincolns (approx. 0.6 miles away); Joseph Holt (approx. 7.4 miles away); Cloverport History - Late 1900's to Present (approx. 10 miles away); Cloverport History 1901-1922 (approx. 10.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hardinsburg.

Also see . . .
1. Breckinridge County Courthouse History. The first courthouse was made of logs and erected in 1801. In 1868, the old courthouse was replaced by a new one. This one was built of brick which were burned on Mr. Hook’s farm. The brick kiln was located in the schoolhouse yard between the school building and Mr. Sherman Beauchamp’s home. Mr. Edgar Bennett of Basin Springs erected the building. The building stood the storms of time and answered well its purpose until it went up in flames February 7, 1958. The fire broke out in the extreme upper part of the building so all hands and the cook put forth every effort and succeeded in carrying to safety all of the early and valuable records of the county. (Submitted on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Breckinridge County, Kentucky

Courthouse Burned Marker (<i>side 2 - map of Kentucky courthouses burned</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

2. Courthouse Burned Marker (side 2 - map of Kentucky courthouses burned)

The twenty-two Kentucky courthouses burned during the civil war were located at: Mayfield, Cadiz, Marion, Princeton, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Owensboro, Hartford, Hardinsburg, Leitchfield, Tompkinsville, Hodgenville, Taylorsville, Lebanon, Campbellsville, Burkesville, Albany, Harlan, Stanton, Mt. Sterling, Owingsville and Morehead.

. During the American Civil War, raiding Kentucky Confederate cavalry burned the courthouse, as it was being used by Union troops as a barracks, though most of the records were saved. On March 12, 1865, Jerome Clarke, a well known Confederate guerrilla, claimed by some to have been Sue Munday, was captured near the Breckinridge–Meade County line. He was hanged three days later in Louisville. Afterward, his trial drew heavy criticism. A third courthouse fire nearly destroyed county records in 1958. (Submitted on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Courthouse Images for Breckinridge County, Kentucky.
This link presents images of the current and historic Breckinridge County courthouses. (Submitted on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Courthouse Burned Marker (<i>tall view; side 2; looking east along 2nd Street</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

3. Courthouse Burned Marker (tall view; side 2; looking east along 2nd Street)

Courthouse Burned Marker (<i>wide view; Breckinridge County Courthouse in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

4. Courthouse Burned Marker (wide view; Breckinridge County Courthouse in background)

Breckinridge County Courthouse (<i>corner view from intersection near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 17, 2017

5. Breckinridge County Courthouse (corner view from intersection near marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 868 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.