Harrison County, Kentucky
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 25 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1974. Most listings are in or near Cynthiana, Shawhan, Lair.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Kentucky is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Harrison titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP19 of 25 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
25 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Archeological Site No. 15HR4 | Lair | 1986 |
| Church of the Advent, Episcopal | Cynthiana | 1978 |
| Coleman-Desha Plantation | Cynthiana | 1993 |
| Confederate Monument in Cynthiana | Cynthiana | 1997 |
| Cynthiana Commercial District | Cynthiana | 1982 |
| Fraizer, Joel, House | Cynthiana | 1983 |
| Handy Farm | Cynthiana | 2005 |
| Harrison County Courthouse | Cynthiana | 1974 |
| Haviland House | Cynthiana | 1983 |
| Hinkson, John, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| Kimbrough-Hehr House | Broadwell | 1979 |
| Lafferty, William T., House | Cynthiana | 1980 |
| Lair, John, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| McKee, John, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| McMillan, Samuel, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| Monticello | Cynthiana | 1974 |
| Poplar Hill | Cynthiana | 1976 |
| Roberts, Wesley, House | Cynthiana | 1982 |
| Second Battle of Cynthiana Battlefield | Cynthiana | 2002 |
| Shawhan, Joseph, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| Smith House | Shawhan | 1983 |
| Spur Gasoline Station | Cynthiana | 1987 |
| Stone House of Indian Creek | Cynthiana | 1983 |
| Stoney Castle | Berry | 1978 |
| Williams, John, House | Shawhan | 1983 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBHarrison was formed in 1794 (1794-02-01) from Bourbon, Scott.
HARRISON created from BOURBON and SCOTT.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusHarrison County population from 1800 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1800 | 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,350 | 12,278 | 12,472 | 13,779 | 16,504 | 18,570 | 15,798 | 15,124 | 13,736 | 13,704 | 15,166 | 17,983 | 18,692 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS19 cemeteries and 2 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 19 of 19 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Battle Grove Cemetery |
| Beard Cemetery |
| Brewsaugh Cemetery |
| Cherry Grove Cemetery |
| Dunn Cemetery |
| King and Garnett Cemetery |
| Kings Cemetery |
| Mount Pleasant Church Cemetery |
| Old East Broadwell Cemetery |
| Old New Cemetery |
| Old Salem Cemetery |
| Pythian Grove Cemetery |
| Raven Creek Cemetery |
| Republican Church Cemetery |
| Robinson Cemetery |
| Rocky Spring Cemetery |
| Saint Edwards Cemetery |
| Union Cemetery |
| Whitehead Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 2 of 2
| Name |
|---|
| Jones Shop |
| White Oak |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Civil War battlefields nearby
ABPPAmerican Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) Civil War study areas near this county.
| Battlefield | Study acres | Dist. |
|---|---|---|
| Cynthiana | 2,429 | 7.1 km |
Source: NPS American Battlefield Protection Program Civil War Study Areas (public ArcGIS feature service).
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Harrison County, Kentucky
Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.