The story
History
Initial settlement
The first European settlers came to Rowan County from Virginia following the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1854, Morehead became the third community to be settled in the county. Colonel John Hargis founded the city after purchasing land in the area. The city was named after James T Morehead, a politician who served as governor of Kentucky from 1834 to 1836. Rowan County came into existence in May 1856, seceding from parts of Morgan County and Fleming County. It was divided into four districts with Morehead being declared the county seat. The formation of Rowan County was a political ploy to prevent Flemingsburg from moving its seat to Poplar Plains, and Morehead was selected as Rowan's seat because of its centrality. Although it was smaller and less developed than the neighboring town of Farmers, it remained a significant city in the county due its status as county seat. It was officially incorporated in 1869.
Rowan County War
In the 1880s, Morehead became the central stage for a notorious conflict known as the Rowan County War or the Martin–Tolliver–Logan Feud. During a number of skirmishes for the next few years, at least 20 people were killed and possibly 100 were wounded. Beginning with an election-day barroom brawl, several gunfights took place in Morehead and the surrounding countryside. Eventually, a group led by Craig Tolliver seized political control of the town and installed allies in the county sheriff's and county attorney's offices as well as at the office of the town marshal. Several members of the opposing faction were arrested on trumped-up charges, and some were killed when the faction in power falsely claimed they had resisted arrest. The conflict gained national attention and on two occasions the governor sent troops to maintain order with little effect. Eventually a posse of as many as 100 individuals were organized and armed by Daniel Boone Logan with the tacit consent of Gov. J. Proctor Knott and Governor-elect Simon Buckner. In a dramatic two-hour gun battle through the center of Morehead, several Tollivers (including Craig) were killed and the Tollivers' control of the county was broken. Two men were later acquitted for the murder of Craig Tolliver. Morehead State University was established as an indirect result of the feud. After the state militia came to settle the feud, the Disciples of Christ established a church and school which served as the forerunner to the university.
20th century
The industry improved in the early 20th century. It was considered an important shipping center in the region, and the city of Chesapeake, Ohio even carried out developments on the road system of Morehead. Its abundance of lumber, fire clay, farm products and gas made it an active center of industry, of which was mainly oriented towards agriculture. The close proximity of the Licking River helped ensure the population would flourish. In the 1920s, the city refocused its efforts towards fire clay extraction amidst the dwindling prices of timber. One of the first transcontinental auto trails in the US, the Midland Trail, was connected to Morehead in 1929.
In July 1939, a number of business and hotels located on Mainstreet were caught in a raging fire following Independence Day celebrations which went awry. The town's pack horse library center was burned down as well. Only 24 hours afterwards, the town was badly affected by flash flooding. At least 25 people died, and thousands had to receive vaccinations for Typhoid fever. The property costs incurred by the flooding were estimated at $1,000,000, while the damage inflicted on crops and farms caused an economic loss of about $500,000.
In the early 1960s, efforts were underway to establish a local hospital. An agreement was eventually reached with the Sisters of Notre Dame in Covington, Kentucky in which the sisters would assume responsibility for operating the proposed hospital. In July 1963, St Claire's Medical Center was opened with a 41-bed capacity. Transport in and out of the city was greatly improved in 1969 after the completion of Interstate 64 to the north.
After the logging and extraction industries lost momentum in eastern Kentucky during the mid-1900s, the city invested heavily in developing Morehead State University as a means to secure economic growth. Morehead also sought to capitalize on tourism by ameliorating its natural attractions. Hiking trails were created through Cave Run Lake in the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1974, tourism was further boosted when Cave Run Lake was impounded by the city. By 1990, Morehead State University had become the largest employer in the city.
21st century
In 2015, Kim Davis of Morehead gained international attention after she defied a federal court order requiring that as Clerk of Rowan County she issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple.
The Downtown Morehead Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
Read the full text
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Morehead had a population of 7,151. The median age was 22.1 years. 11.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.6 males age 18 and over.
89.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,046 households in Morehead, of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 28.3% were married-couple households, 25.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,442 housing units, of which 16.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.6%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 5,914 people, 2,114 households, and 1,101 families residing in the city. The population density was 640.8 inhabitants per square mile (247.4/km2). There were 2,347 housing units at an average density of 254.3 per square mile (98.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.25% White, 2.57% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 2,114 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.5% under the age of 18, 34.6% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,014, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $23,950 versus $19,455 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,415. About 16.7% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.
From Wikipedia’s article on Morehead, Kentucky, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4