KENTUCKY - When tracing the history of the Bluegrass State, the timeline leads to Harrodsburg. Founded in 1774, it is the oldest permanent European settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains, predating the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the United States.
The Founding: June 16, 1774
Harrodsburg's origins are tied to the first major push of colonial pioneers into the "West."
- James Harrod: In the spring of 1774, James Harrod led a company of 31 men down the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers from Pennsylvania. They traveled up the Kentucky River and established a settlement at a site they called Harrod's Town (later Harrodstown).
- The Cabins: On June 16, 1774, the men laid out the town and began building cabins. Although they briefly abandoned the site later that year to fight in Lord Dunmore's War (a colonial conflict with the Shawnee), they returned in 1775 to fortify the settlement, building Fort Harrod to protect against increasing attacks.
Indigenous Roots
Long before James Harrod arrived, the region was a vital hunting ground for the Shawnee, Cherokee, and Chickasaw nations. The land that became Kentucky ("Kenta-ke") was not empty; it was a contested and managed landscape used for hunting buffalo and deer. The Shawnee, centered north of the Ohio River, fiercely defended this territory. The founding of Harrodsburg and subsequent forts such as Boonesborough ignited a violent conflict known as the Chickamauga Wars (or the struggle for the "Dark and Bloody Ground"), as indigenous nations fought to prevent permanent encroachment on their resources.
A Technical Distinction: The Boonesborough Rivalry
While Harrodsburg is the oldest settlement, its fame is often rivalled by that of Boonesborough.
- Daniel Boone: Famed frontiersman Daniel Boone established Fort Boonesborough in April 1775, nearly a year after Harrod founded his town.
- The Charter: Boonesborough holds a unique legal distinction: it was the first town in Kentucky to be officially chartered by the Virginia Assembly (October 1779). However, while Boonesborough eventually declined and ceased to exist as a functional city (it is now a State Park), Harrodsburg survived and evolved into a modern municipality.
Settlement vs. Incorporation
Harrodsburg served as the seat of government for Kentucky County (then part of Virginia) as early as 1776. However, formally incorporating as a U.S. city took much longer.
- 1836: Despite being the oldest settlement, Harrodsburg was not officially incorporated by the Kentucky General Assembly until 1836.
- Louisville: By contrast, Louisville (founded 1778) grew much faster due to its location at the Falls of the Ohio and was incorporated as a city in 1828, technically gaining "city" status earlier than the older pioneer town of Harrodsburg.
Harrodsburg is the oldest city in Kentucky, founded on June 16, 1774, by James Harrod. It stands as the first permanent colonial settlement west of the Alleghenies. The region was previously the hunting ground of the Shawnee and Cherokee. While Daniel Boone's Boonesborough (1775) was the first to receive a formal charter, it did not survive as a town. Harrodsburg remains a living community and the historical patriarch of the Commonwealth.
Sources
- Kentucky Historical Society. "Harrodsburg: Kentucky's Oldest Town."
- Old Fort Harrod State Park. "History of the Fort."
- Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission. "James Harrod and the Founding."
- Encyclopedia of Kentucky. "Frontier Settlements."
- National Park Service. "Daniel Boone and the Wilderness Road."