Editing Georgetown, Kentucky (section)

==History==
[[File:Ward Hall, Georgetown, Kentucky.jpg|thumb|[[Ward Hall (Georgetown, Kentucky)|Ward Hall]], a Greek Revival landmark]]

Native peoples have lived along the banks of [[Elkhorn Creek (Kentucky)|Elkhorn Creek]] in what is now Scott County for at least 15,000 years.<ref name=HGSC/> At the time of European encounter, the historic [[Shawnee people]] occupied this area.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Anglo-American exploration can be dated to the late colonial period and a June 1774 surveying expedition from [[Fincastle County, Virginia]], led by [[James John Floyd|Colonel John Floyd]]. For his military service, he was granted a claim of {{convert|1000|acre|km2}} in the area by the state of Virginia. He named it Royal Spring but did not settle it.<ref name=EncKy>''Kentucky Encyclopedia'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&pg=PA371 p. 371]. "Georgetown". University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1992. Accessed July 26, 2013.</ref> John McClellan was the first English colonist to settle the area and established McClellan's Station there in 1775, but the compound was abandoned following an Indian attack on December 29, 1776.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/georgetown-kentucky|title=Georgetown, Kentucky|publisher=Advisory Council on Historic Protection|accessdate=26 June 2023}}</ref>

In 1782, the [[Baptist]] preacher [[Elijah Craig]] led his congregation to the site from Orange County, Virginia, and established a new settlement which he called Lebanon. This was incorporated by the Virginia legislature in 1784. At the time, Virginia claimed this territory under its colonial charter.<ref name=EncKy/> Craig established some of the first [[gristmill|mill]]s west of the [[Appalachian Mountain]]s along the Royal Spring Branch, where he also manufactured cloth and paper.<ref name=HGSC/> He also founded a distillery in 1789, as well as a school called the Rittenhouse Academy. This eventually developed as [[Georgetown College (Kentucky)|Georgetown College]].<ref>Georgetown College. "[http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/about/gc-history/ History]".</ref>

The city's name was changed to George Town in honor of [[list of U.S. presidents|President]] [[George Washington]] in 1790. When [[Kentucky]] became the [[list of U.S. states|15th U.S. state]] in 1792 and formed [[Scott County, Kentucky|Scott County]], George Town became the county seat. Its name was formally changed to Georgetown in 1846.<ref name=EncKy/>

The county developed an agricultural economy, as it was part of the fertile [[Bluegrass Region]]. Planters cultivated tobacco and hemp, and raised blooded livestock, including Thoroughbred racehorses, and cattle and sheep. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Kentucky stayed in the Union. Georgetown was raided by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Gen. [[John Hunt Morgan]] twice, once on July 15, 1862, and the second time on July 10, 1864.<ref name=EncKy/>

Following the war, the town became a railroad hub, connected to the [[Cincinnati Southern Railroad|Cincinnati Southern]], the [[Louisville Southern Railroad|Louisville Southern]], and the [[Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad|Frankfort & Cincinnati]]. The last was considered the "whiskey route" and carried much of the region's [[Kentucky bourbon|bourbon]] to markets along the Ohio River.<ref name=EncKy/>

In 1896 a girl's academy was founded by the Catholic [[Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary|Sisters of Visitation]]. The school closed in 1987, and was adapted as the [[Cardome Centre]]. It previously served as a community center for the city of Georgetown, but was purchased by the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington|Catholic Diocese of Lexington]] in 2019.<ref>Cardome Center. "[https://cardome.org/about-us About Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328120653/https://cardome.org/about-us |date=March 28, 2023 }}".</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news-graphic.com/news/cardome-officially-sold/article_b3bd3df0-0fa1-11ea-8c4f-5b5fbc7d9bad.html|title= Cardome officially sold|access-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128191459/https://www.news-graphic.com/news/cardome-officially-sold/article_b3bd3df0-0fa1-11ea-8c4f-5b5fbc7d9bad.html|archive-date=November 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===20th century to present===
Throughout the 20th century, Georgetown has been in transition from an economy based primarily on agriculture, to one mixing manufacturing, small business, and the family farm. During the 1960s, the construction of [[Interstate 75]] placed the city on one of the nation's busiest highways. The selection of Georgetown as the site of [[Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky]] in 1985 has resulted in the greatest period of growth in the city's history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgetownky.com/about-us|title=Georgetown/Scott County KY History|publisher=Georgetown/Scott County Tourism|accessdate=26 June 2023}}</ref>

The historic [[Ward Hall (Georgetown, Kentucky)|Ward Hall]], now home to The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, is located just outside Georgetown. Ward Hall was the summer home of [[Junius R. Ward House|Junius Ward]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wardhall.net/|title=Welcome to Ward Hall|publisher=Ward Hall|accessdate=26 June 2023}}</ref> The home represents the height of the [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] period of architecture in Kentucky and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/346|title=Ward Hall|accessdate=26 June 2023}}</ref>

The Georgetown business section has a historic district known as the [[Oxford Historic District (Georgetown, Kentucky)|Oxford Historic District]]. It is also listed on the NRHP.<ref>{{NRHP url|id=79001031|title=}}</ref>