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Hartford in Ohio County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
 

Rev. William Downs

 
 
Rev. William Downs Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 1, 2020
1. Rev. William Downs Marker
Inscription. This orator, debater, and minister was also a teacher, Bible scholar, and hymn composer. He preached near the Lincoln home on Knob Creek and baptized Abraham's father, Thomas Lincoln. William Downs was born 1782 in old fort at site of Hartford. Father killed by Indians. William's brother Thomas also became pioneer Baptist preacher. William died 1860, near Hartford.
 
Erected 1988 by Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 1834.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and CommunitiesReligion & Religious StructuresSettlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1782.
 
Location. 37° 26.964′ N, 86° 54.503′ W. Marker is in Hartford, Kentucky, in Ohio County. It is on Cs-1014 south of West Washington Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is behind Ohio County Historical Society Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 415 Mulberry Street, Hartford KY 42347, United States of America.
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Regionally, this marker is in the Tri-State Region and in the Western Coal Field. It is also in the American Midwest, in the South, and specifically in the Upper South. 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 walking distance of this marker: Richard Parks Bland (here, next to this marker); Famous Kentucky Artist (a few steps from this marker); Man of Courage (a few steps from this marker); Early Surgery (a few steps from this marker); John C. Thomas House (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio County World Wars Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); County Named, 1798 (about 400 feet away); Courthouse Burned (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hartford.
 
Also see . . .  Letters of Elder William Downs. From The Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois. (Submitted on November 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.) 
 
Rev. William Downs Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 1, 2020
2. Rev. William Downs Marker
Subject marker is second from right.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 530 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on November 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 11, 2026