Burkesville, Kentucky

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Burkesville, Kentucky
| settlement_type    = [[list of cities in Kentucky|City]]
| image_skyline      = Cumberland County Kentucky courthouse.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Cumberland County courthouse in Burkesville
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = 
| image_map          = File:Cumberland County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Burkesville Highlighted 2111098.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Burkesville in Cumberland County, Kentucky.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|47|25|N|85|22|14|W|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Kentucky|County]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kentucky]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Cumberland County, Kentucky|Cumberland]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Laurel Irby
| established_date   = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.65
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.57
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.08
| area_total_km2     = 6.87
| area_land_km2      = 6.67
| area_water_km2     = 0.20
| area_water_percent = 
| elevation_ft       = 581
| elevation_m        = 177
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 1388
| population_metro   = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_density_sq_mi = 539.24
| population_density_km2 = 208.19
| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 42717
| area_code          = [[Area codes 270 and 364|270 & 364]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-11098
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = {{gnis4|0488433}}
| website            = {{URL|http://www.cityofburkesville.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_est     = 1380
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| name               = 
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
| population_footnotes = 
}}

'''Burkesville''' is a [[list of Kentucky cities|home rule-class city]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.klc.org/UserFiles/files/ClassificationReformFACT(3).pdf |title=Summary and Reference Guide to House Bill 331 City Classification Reform |publisher=Kentucky League of Cities |access-date=December 30, 2014}}</ref> in [[Cumberland County, Kentucky|Cumberland County]], [[Kentucky]], in the United States. Nestled among the rolling foothills of [[Appalachia]] and bordered by the [[Cumberland River]] to the south and east, it is the [[county seat|seat]] of its county.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> The population was 1,521 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2111098| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212183030/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2111098| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Burkesville city, Kentucky| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref>

==History==
Burkesville began as a small riverside settlement even before the [[Iroquois]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] officially sold the land in 1768. The settlement was originally called '''Cumberland Crossing'''. In 1846, it was incorporated as a city and named Burkesville after Isham Burk, a prominent citizen leader at that time.

Just as Kentucky was a border state in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], so was Burkesville a border town. Burkesville stood on the Cumberland River, a major natural barrier between opposing forces, so [[Union Army|Union]] and [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] troops as well as [[Guerrilla warfare|guerilla]]s led by [[Champ Ferguson]] sparred across the countryside. Confederate General [[John Hunt Morgan]] tore through the area while conducting [[Morgan's Raid]], and Confederate General [[Hylan B. Lyon]]'s raids in December 1864 burned seven [[courthouse]]s, ending with the one in Burkesville on January 3.

Burkesville was a fairly busy river port whose heyday came during the latter part of the nineteenth century, when water transportation was the most feasible way to move large quantities of goods. The rise of larger craft, such as the riverboat, required diligent dredging of the riverbed to keep it navigable so far upstream. The last steamboat docked in Burkesville in 1929, the year after the first major road was opened to the larger city of [[Glasgow, Kentucky|Glasgow]], {{convert|40|mi}} to the west. The river's head of commercial navigation moved from Burnside (which has a railroad) to Burkesville (which does not) when the U.S. Army [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] began building [[Wolf Creek Dam]] without a lock about 25 miles upstream before World War II. The dam controlled flooding that had plagued the town from its beginning, but was the last nail in the coffin of commercial navigation. The corps' impoundment of [[Dale Hollow Reservoir]] in 1944 gave the town a tourist and fishing trade, and development of a trout fishery on the river from the dam to Burkesville has also provided a small economic boost, as has development of Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park.

Burkesville had a [[Pack Horse Library Project|pack horse library]] serving rural residents in the late 1930s and early 1940s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13535913/|title=Pack Horse Library|date=8 November 1938|work=Kingsport Times|access-date=3 September 2017|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Today the main routes of access to the city are State [[Kentucky Route 90|Highways 90]] and state [[Kentucky Route 61|61]]. KY 90 East and KY 61 South are part of the [[Appalachian Development Highway System]]; Burkesville has the only 90-degree turn in an APD corridor, because the original route was moved west to please Tennessee Congressman [[Joe L. Evins]] and perhaps Kentucky Congressman [[Tim Lee Carter]] of Tompkinsville. An old-fashioned [[town square]] sits on Main Street, which splits and forms a circle around the Cumberland County [[court house]], the third incarnation of the structure. The first was built by [[Thomas Lincoln]], the father of [[Abraham Lincoln]]. Original buildings ring the square on three sides; the fourth was razed to make way for a modern justice center, completed in 2006. Two streets branch off perpendicular to Main: River Street runs straight toward the Cumberland River and provides access to the town's only public boat ramp, while Hill Street immediately begins scaling the Alpine Hill that towers over the city. This road was the only access to the city from the west for many years until Highway 90 was rerouted through a gap called the Sawmill Cut, site of a small sawmill until the road was further modernized in the 21st century. Highway 61 North was most recently modernized; the highway and park improvements were pushed by Burkesville lawyer David Williams as president of the state Senate from 2000 to 2013.

==Geography==
Burkesville is located at {{Coord|36|47|34|N|85|22|10|W|type:city}} (36.792787, -85.369578).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|6.85|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|6.65|sqkm|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.20|sqkm|disp=flip|2}}, or 2.90%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Burkesville has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=731151&cityname=Burkesville%2C+Kentucky%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Burkesville, Kentucky]</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1810 = 106
| 1840 = 340
| 1850 = 369
| 1880 = 434
| 1910 = 817
| 1920 = 798
| 1930 = 886
| 1940 = 1092
| 1950 = 1278
| 1960 = 1688
| 1970 = 1717
| 1980 = 2051
| 1990 = 1815
| 2000 = 1756
| 2010 = 1521
| 2020 = 1388
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 1380
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2000,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> there were 1,756 people, 768 households, and 459 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|620.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 856 housing units at an average density of {{convert|302.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 86.90% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 10.88% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.17% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.17% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.88% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 768 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $17,209, and the median income for a family was $24,028. Males had a median income of $20,985 versus $16,763 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $11,653. About 23.8% of families and 29.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 38.0% of those under age 18 and 30.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Burkesville has a lending library, the Cumberland County Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202017/https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2019 | title=Kentucky Public Library Directory | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
* Two [[governor]]s of Kentucky, [[Thomas E. Bramlette]] and [[Preston H. Leslie]], were born in the part of Cumberland County that later became Clinton County.<ref>[http://www.burkesville.com/html/area_history.html "Area History". Burkesville Kentucky Online. 2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029142539/http://www.burkesville.com/html/area_history.html |date=October 29, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Thomas Lincoln]], father of the 16th President [[Abraham Lincoln]], served two terms as [[constable]] of Cumberland County from 1802 to 1804. He was also commissioned an ensign of the Cornstalk Militia of Cumberland County.<ref>[http://www.burkesville.com/html/historical_landmarks.html State historical plaque located in Burkesville, Kentucky] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030043138/http://www.burkesville.com/html/historical_landmarks.html |date=October 30, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[David L. Williams (politician)|David L. Williams]], judge of the Kentucky 40th Circuit Court, former [[President of the Kentucky Senate]], 1992 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and the 2011 Republican gubernatorial nominee.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityofburkesville.org/ City of Burkesville official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090411024455/http://www.burkesville.com/index.html ''Cumberland County News'']
* [http://www.cumberlandlibrary.net/ Cumberland County Public Library]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.cumberlandcounty.com Cumberland County Tourism & Convention Commission]

{{Cumberland County, Kentucky}}
{{Kentucky county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Cumberland County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:County seats in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1846]]
[[Category:1846 establishments in Kentucky]]