Gilbertsville, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Gilbertsville is an unincorporated community
in Marshall County
, Kentucky
, United States
. Its elevation is 351 feet (107 m), and it is located at 37°1′28"N 88°17′59"W (37.0245003, -88.2997557). It is known as the closest village to Kentucky Dam
. The town was relocated to its present site when Kentucky Dam
and Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
replaced the former site.
as "Clear Pond," named for a nearby lake. In 1874 it was incorporated and renamed "Gilbertsville" in honor of Jesse C. Gilbert
, who served as a Kentucky state senator from 1871 to 1875. The town grew to include a bank, several stores, a jail, and a school teaching grades 1-12. It had a population of approximately 300 in 1930. The village thrived because besides the fertile bottomland, it afforded the combination of river access for transportation and fishing, and railroad transportation via the Illinois Central railroad.
has driven the economy of the town since the 1940s. The town has an airport, an 18 hole golf course, a large marina, and has been the site of bass fishing tournaments and a car racing track.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Marshall County
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its elevation is 351 feet (107 m), and it is located at 37°1′28"N 88°17′59"W (37.0245003, -88.2997557). It is known as the closest village to Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston County and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky...
. The town was relocated to its present site when Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston County and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky...
and Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park is a park located on the northern shore of Kentucky Lake in Marshall County, Kentucky. The park encompasses , and excellent accommodations make it one of Kentucky's most popular resorts....
replaced the former site.
Old Gilbertsville
The original town of Gilbertsville was founded in 1871 near the Tennessee RiverTennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
as "Clear Pond," named for a nearby lake. In 1874 it was incorporated and renamed "Gilbertsville" in honor of Jesse C. Gilbert
Jesse C. Gilbert
Jesse Carter Gilbert was an attorney and politician. He served in the Kentucky house of representatives starting in 1861. He was elected state senator from the second district in 1871 and served until 1875. Afterward he was an attorney, practicing in Paducah, Kentucky for the balance of his life...
, who served as a Kentucky state senator from 1871 to 1875. The town grew to include a bank, several stores, a jail, and a school teaching grades 1-12. It had a population of approximately 300 in 1930. The village thrived because besides the fertile bottomland, it afforded the combination of river access for transportation and fishing, and railroad transportation via the Illinois Central railroad.
Modern Gilbertsville
The construction of Kentucky Dam (1938–1944) meant the end for old Gilbertsville. The town was moved to its present site, initially called "West Gilbertsville," with the geographic coordinates given above, by the time that Kentucky Lake was impounded in the early 1940s. A notable event in the towns history was the dedication ceremony for Kentucky Dam on October 10, 1945, at which President Harry Truman gave the dedicatory speech. Gilbertsville was a 6th class city from 1956 to 1976. The town incorporated at its new site circa 1953. The town later abandoned its incorporated status in 1976 by a referendum. Before dissolving its charter, the town of 241 had a budget of $2,000 to $3,000 per year, which paid for a town marshal, street lights, and street repairs. It has been the site, for several decades, of the 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) Kentucky Sheriff's Boys and Girls Ranch, which phas provided a free week-long summer camp for children ages 8–11, with total attendance of 30,000 through 2008. Tourism related to the dams and lakes created nearby by TVATennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
has driven the economy of the town since the 1940s. The town has an airport, an 18 hole golf course, a large marina, and has been the site of bass fishing tournaments and a car racing track.
External links
- http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/ky-gilbertsville.html Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer, showing present location of Gilbertsville.