Eddyville, Kentucky
| Eddyville, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Kentucky State Penitentiary
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 Location in Lyon County and the state of Kentucky. |
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| Coordinates: 37°4′50″N 88°4′10″W / 37.08056°N 88.06944°WCoordinates: 37°4′50″N 88°4′10″W / 37.08056°N 88.06944°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Lyon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.8 sq mi (20.1 km2) |
| • Land | 6.7 sq mi (17.3 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 509 ft (155 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,554 |
| • Density | 351.2/sq mi (135.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 42038 |
| Area code(s) | 270 & 364 |
| FIPS code | 21-23824 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0491553 |
Eddyville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,554 at the 2010 census, up from 2,350 in 2000. The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located at Eddyville.
Eddyville, the seat of Lyon County, was settled around 1798 and named for the eddies in the nearby Cumberland River. It became the seat of Livingston County when it was formed in 1799; then the seat of Caldwell County upon its formation in 1809; and finally the seat of Lyon County upon its establishment in 1854. Thus, it holds the distinction of being the only city in Kentucky to have served as the county seat of three separate counties. The Eddyville post office opened in 1801.
Throughout Kentucky, Eddyville is best known as a metonym for the Kentucky State Penitentiary, although the prison itself is actually 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the present town on the shore of Lake Barkley in Old Eddyville on KY 730. Taking six years to build (1884–1890), the massive stone prison structure towers over Lake Barkley and is sometimes called "The Castle on the Cumberland". Its electric chair has had a long history of use, dating to the period before 1936 when executions were still publicly conducted in Kentucky for some crimes (e.g., rape as in the case of Rainey Bethea) while electrocutions at Eddyville were strictly reserved for others (e.g., murder). Executions are still held at the prison, although there have only been three since 1976 and only one since 1999. The primary method has been changed to lethal injection.
Following the completion of Kentucky Dam in the 1940s, rumors began that a dam would be built on the lower Cumberland. This meant relocating Eddyville and Kuttawa. By the mid-1950s, the people's fears were confirmed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began surveying for the construction of Barkley Dam. The entire population of Eddyville was in a turmoil with decisions to be made. This ordeal caused many angry feelings among some of the residents, which lasted a lifetime.
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