History of Elizabethtown, KY

Elizabethtown's story stretches back more than two centuries, from a frontier settlement on the edge of the Kentucky wilderness to a modern city shaped by railroads, war, military installations, and interstate highways. Understanding that history helps explain why E-town looks and feels the way it does today — and why it continues to draw new residents who recognize the same qualities that attracted settlers more than 200 years ago.

Founding and Early Settlement (1790s-1830s)

Elizabethtown was founded in 1797 and established as the seat of Hardin County. The city is named for Elizabeth Hynes, the wife of Colonel Andrew Hynes, who donated the land on which the original town was built. The site was chosen for its location along the main road connecting Louisville to Nashville, making it a natural stopping point for travelers heading through the Kentucky interior.

In its earliest decades, Elizabethtown was a small but strategically placed frontier town. The county courthouse, a handful of taverns, a general store, and a few churches made up the core. Farming — particularly tobacco, corn, and livestock — drove the local economy, and the surrounding Hardin County landscape was a patchwork of family farms carved from the hardwood forests that once blanketed the region.

The Lincoln Connection

Abraham Lincoln's ties to the Elizabethtown area run deep. Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, lived and worked as a carpenter in Elizabethtown before moving the family to the nearby Sinking Spring Farm, where Abraham was born in 1809. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is located in Hodgenville, just 12 miles east of E-town on Lincoln Parkway. Thomas Lincoln later returned to the Elizabethtown area, and several Lincoln family sites can still be visited in and around Hardin County.

This connection to the 16th president is a point of local pride, and visitors to the area can follow the Lincoln Heritage Trail that links sites across central Kentucky. The Hardin County History Museum in downtown E-town preserves artifacts and records from this era.

The Civil War in Elizabethtown

Kentucky's position as a border state made it a contested battleground during the Civil War, and Elizabethtown saw direct military action. In December 1862, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan led a cavalry raid through central Kentucky that targeted the Louisville and Nashville Railroad supply line. Morgan's forces attacked the Union garrison at Elizabethtown on December 27, 1862, shelling the town and forcing the roughly 650 Union soldiers defending it to surrender after a brief but intense engagement.

Morgan's raiders destroyed railroad bridges and trestles in the area before continuing their ride north, disrupting Union supply lines for weeks. The raid left a lasting mark on the community, and Civil War history remains a visible thread in E-town's identity. Several historical markers around town note sites related to the raid, and the downtown area preserves buildings that date to the antebellum and Civil War eras.

The Railroad Era (1850s-1920s)

The arrival of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in the 1850s transformed Elizabethtown from a rural county seat into a regionally significant town. The railroad made it possible to ship agricultural products — especially tobacco and grain — to markets in Louisville and beyond, and it brought new businesses, residents, and commerce. E-town became a railroad hub, with the depot serving as the economic center of the community.

Throughout the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, Elizabethtown grew steadily. The downtown business district expanded, churches and schools multiplied, and the town took on the character of a prosperous small Kentucky city — brick-fronted commercial buildings, tree-lined residential streets, and a courthouse square that served as the civic heart of Hardin County.

Fort Knox and the Military Era (1918-Present)

The establishment of Camp Knox in 1918 as a training facility during World War I was the single most consequential event in Elizabethtown's modern history. The military installation, later renamed Fort Knox, grew through World War II into one of the Army's premier armored training centers. The U.S. Bullion Depository — the famous Gold Vault — was built on the post in 1936, giving Fort Knox a national profile that far exceeded its military role.

The base brought thousands of soldiers and their families to the region, and Elizabethtown and neighboring Radcliff grew dramatically to serve them. The military presence introduced a level of diversity and transience unusual for a small Kentucky city — families from every state and many countries cycled through, and a significant number chose to retire in the area. Today, Fort Knox is home to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command and the U.S. Army Cadet Command, and it remains the largest employer in the region.

Modern Growth and the I-65 Corridor

The construction of Interstate 65 through Hardin County in the 1960s opened a new chapter for Elizabethtown. The highway placed E-town within easy reach of Louisville and Nashville, transforming it from an isolated small city into a viable commuter and commercial hub. Retail development followed the interstate, and the stretch of US-31W between E-town and I-65 became the area's primary commercial corridor.

Since the 1990s, Elizabethtown has experienced steady population growth, driven by a combination of military families, Louisville commuters attracted by lower housing costs, retirees, and workers in the regional healthcare, education, and manufacturing sectors. The city has invested in downtown revitalization, bringing new restaurants, shops, and public spaces to the historic core while expanding residential neighborhoods outward.

Today, Elizabethtown is a city of approximately 33,000 residents — large enough to have quality schools, healthcare, and retail, but small enough to preserve the neighborly, community-oriented character that has defined it since its founding. The blend of military heritage, small-town values, and modern accessibility makes it one of Kentucky's most appealing mid-sized communities.