Editing Hopkinsville, Kentucky (section)

==History==

===Early years===
The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 by Bartholomew Wood as part of a {{convert|1200|acre|km2|0|adj=on}} grant for his service in the [[American Revolution]]. He and his wife Martha Ann moved from [[Jonesborough, Tennessee]], first to a cabin near present-day W. Seventh and Bethel streets; then to a second cabin near present-day 9th and Virginia streets; and finally to a third home near 14th and Campbell.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.visithopkinsville.com/about/history/ |access-date=January 24, 2023 |website=visithopkinsville.com|date=October 29, 2013 }}</ref>

Following the creation of [[Christian County, Kentucky|Christian County]] the same year, the Woods donated {{convert|5|acre|m2}} of land and a half interest in their Old Rock Spring to form its seat of government in 1797. By 1798, a log courthouse, jail, and "stray pen" had been built; the next year, John Campbell and Samuel Means laid out the streets for "Christian Court House". The community tried to rename itself "Elizabeth" after the Woods' eldest daughter, but [[Elizabethtown, Kentucky]] pre-ëmpted the name, and the [[Kentucky Assembly]] established the town in 1804 as "Hopkinsville" after veteran and state representative [[Samuel Hopkins (congressman)|Samuel Hopkins]] of [[Henderson County, Kentucky|Henderson County]] (later the namesake of [[Hopkins County, Kentucky|Hopkins County]] as well and despite being in a neighboring county and having the same namesake, Hopkinsville was never the county seat of Hopkins County, despite Hopkins County being created from Christian and Henderson Counties).<ref name=kenky>{{cite book |title=''Encyclopedia of Kentucky'' |chapter=Dictionary of Places: Hopkinsville |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=[[New York, New York]] |year=1987 |isbn=0-403-09981-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n159 160]}}</ref>

Along with the rest of Kentucky, the town was late in establishing [[state school|free lower education]], but natives organized private schools, and the town was the home of [[South Kentucky College]] (est. 1849) and [[Bethel Female College]] (est. 1854).<ref name=kenky/>

Since 1854, Hopkinsville has been the site of the [[Western State Hospital (Kentucky)|Western Kentucky Lunatic Asylum]].

===Civil War===
The [[American Civil War|Civil War]] generated major divisions in Christian County. [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] support in Hopkinsville and Christian County was evident in the formation of the "Oak Grove Rangers" and the 28th Kentucky Cavalry. Christian County was  the actual birthplace of [[Jefferson Davis]], [[president of the Confederate States of America]], though his birthplace is now part of [[Todd County, Kentucky]].  Several local businessmen and plantation owners contributed money and war supplies to the South. After Confederate forces retreated to Tennessee, however, Camp Joe Anderson was established by the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] to the northwest of Hopkinsville in 1862. Men who trained there became members of the 35th Kentucky Cavalry, the [[25th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry|25th Kentucky Infantry]], and the [[35th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry|35th Kentucky Infantry]]. [[List of American Civil War generals (Union)|Gen.]] [[James S. Jackson]] had been a Hopkinsville attorney before the war and was killed in service to the Union at the [[Battle of Perryville]] in October 1862. Private citizens who supported the Union cause provided the army with mules, wagons, clothing, and food.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

The occupation of Hopkinsville changed at least half a dozen times between the Confederate and Union forces. In December 1864, Confederate troops under [[List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)|Gen.]] [[Hylan B. Lyon]] captured the town and burned down the Christian County courthouse which was being used at that time by the Union army as a barracks. Another skirmish between Union and Confederate forces took place in the field opposite Western State Hospital near the end of the war. {{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

===Black Patch tobacco===
{{main|Black Patch Tobacco Wars}}
The [[Evansville, Henderson, and Nashville Railroad]] was the first to connect Hopkinsville to surrounding cities in 1868. In 1879, it was purchased by the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad|L&N]]. The [[Ohio Valley Railroad]] (later purchased by the [[Illinois Southern Railroad|Illinois Southern]]) reached the city in 1892, as did the [[Tennessee Central Railway|Tennessee Central]] in 1903.<ref name=kenky/>

The [[tobacco]] from the [[Black Patch Tobacco Wars|Black Patch region]] was highly desired in Europe.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} In 1904, tobacco planters formed the [[Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee]] in opposition to a corporate monopoly by the [[American Tobacco Company]] (ATC) owned by [[James B. Duke]].<ref name=Gregory>{{cite web| last=Gregory| first=Rick| title=The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture| url=http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=352}}</ref> The ATC used their monopoly power to reduce the prices they paid to farmers; the planters' association aimed to organize a [[boycott]] of sales to drive the price back up. Many farmers continued to sell independently or secretly, however, prompting the association to form a "Silent Brigade" to pressure such farmers into compliance. With societal pressure seeming to fail, the Silent Brigade (probably under Dr. [[David A. Amoss]]) organized [[the Night Riders]] (not to be confused with the [[Ku Klux Klan]]) to terrorize farmers into submission.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

On December 7, 1907, 250 masked Night Riders seized Hopkinsville's police station and cut off all outside contact. They pursued tobacco executives who bought tobacco from farmers who were not members of the Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association and city officials who aided them. Three warehouses were burned, one of whose sites became Peace Park.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}<!-- Empty link <ref name="Ky"/>--> In April of the next year, a tobacco broker in [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]] named W.B. Kennedy wrote to associates in [[Rotterdam]] that "Out of all the mischief that has been done the law has not been able to convict and punish the night-riders. They do their mischief in the night, and wear masks, and they have taken a pledge to never tell anybody anything they know, and for this reason it is impossible to get sufficient evidence to convict them. They have gone on with their mischief making, until they have almost ruined the country."{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

===Tornadoes===
On [[Tornado outbreak of April 2, 2006|April 2, 2006]], an F3&nbsp;tornado swept through parts of Hopkinsville. In the storm, 200&nbsp;homes were damaged and 28 people were injured.<ref>{{cite web|last=National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office|title=Top 10 Weather Headlines of 2006|url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=top10of2006|access-date=30 April 2012}}</ref> In addition, structural damage was reported to dozens of other businesses, along with countless trees, power lines, transmission towers and other structures, cutting electricity to the city of Hopkinsville. A gas line was also damaged, causing a gas leak. On [[Tornadoes of 2022#January 1–3|January 1, 2022]], an EF2&nbsp;tornado struck Hopkinsville, removing the canopy from a gas station, and destroying the petrol pumps. A church lost parts of its roof, and trees were snapped and some uprooted along the path. This was the first confirmed tornado of 2022.<ref>{{cite report|author=National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky|title=NWS Damage Survey for 01/01/22 Tornado Event|url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSPAH&e=202201022224|publisher=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|access-date=January 2, 2022|date=January 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|agency=National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky|title=Preliminary Local Storm Report|url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=LSRPAH&e=202201022332|publisher=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|date=January 2, 2022|accessdate=January 2, 2022}}</ref>

On [[Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023|March 31, 2023]], the downtown area sustained noteworthy damage from straight-line winds of up to 90&nbsp;mph,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jennifer P. |date=2023-04-03 |title=Friday storm produced straight-line winds, NWS team determines |url=https://hoptownchronicle.org/friday-storm-produced-straight-line-winds-nws-team-determines/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Hoptown Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref> lifting off the upper floor of restaurant The Mixer<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jennifer P. |date=2023-04-03 |title=A gut punch: Storm delivers blow to owners of The Mixer |url=https://hoptownchronicle.org/a-gut-punch-storm-delivers-blow-to-owners-of-the-mixer/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Hoptown Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref> in the former Young Hardware space, as well as damaging the city's clock tower and the Woody Winfree Fire and Transportation Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Jennifer P. |date=2023-04-03 |title=Storm damages clock tower building but collection of antique vehicles not harmed |url=https://hoptownchronicle.org/storm-damages-clock-tower-building-but-collection-of-antique-vehicles-not-harmed/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Hoptown Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref>