Statehood 1792

Kentucky

Europeans first visited Kentucky in the late 17th century via the Ohio River and later through the Appalachian Mountains. Following the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, settlers clashed with Native Americans over hunting grounds, leading to Lord Dunmore's War (1774) and the Cherokee–American wars. Kentucky was organized as Virginia's Kentucke County from 1777 to 1780, then as the District of Kentucky from 1780 to 1792, before becoming the 15th state on June 1, 1792.

Statehood
1792
Historic sites
3,556
Military engagements
755

Pre-contact era

Human occupation of Kentucky dates to approximately 9,500 BCE, with a shift from hunter-gatherer to agriculture occurring around 1800 BCE. By 900 CE, a Mississippian culture emerged in western and central Kentucky, while a Fort Ancient culture developed in the east.

Colonial history

Europeans first visited Kentucky in the late 17th century traveling on the Ohio River and in the late 18th century through the Appalachian Mountains. Kentucky was organized as Virginia's Kentucke County (1777–1780) and then the District of Kentucky (1780–1792) before statehood.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Points of Interest
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Timeline
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Explore Kentucky records

3,556
National Register historic sites
National Register listings ›
755
Military engagements
Military history records ›
2
Civil War regiments
Union, Confederate, USCT ›
6
Indigenous groups
Heritage records ›
12
Notable figures
Born in Kentucky ›
56
Colonial-era events
1492 to early statehood ›
Kentucky counties
Census population history ›
Sources

State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

About Kentucky

When did Kentucky become a state?
Kentucky was admitted to the Union in 1792.
What European powers colonized Kentucky?
The territory that became Kentucky passed through several colonial periods. Europeans first visited Kentucky in the late 17th century traveling on the Ohio River and in the late 18th century through the Appalachian Mountains. Kentucky was organized as Virginia's Kentucke County (1777–1780) and then the District of Kentucky (1780–1792) before statehood.
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