Garrard County, Kentucky
| Garrard County, Kentucky | |
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Garrard County courthouse in Lancaster
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 Location in the U.S. state of Kentucky |
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 Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 17, 1796 |
| Named for | James Garrard |
| Seat | Lancaster |
| Largest city | Lancaster |
| Area | |
| • Total | 234 sq mi (606 km2) |
| • Land | 230 sq mi (596 km2) |
| • Water | 3.9 sq mi (10 km2), 1.7% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 16,912 |
| • Density | 74/sq mi (29/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Garrard County (/ˈɡærɪd/ GAIR-id;) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,912. Its county seat is Lancaster. The county was formed in 1796 and was named for James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. It is a prohibition or dry county but Lancaster is wet. Lancaster was founded as a settlement of log cabins in 1776 at a springs that later provided a constant source of water to early pioneers. It is one of the oldest city's in the Commonwealth. Boonesborough, 25 miles to the east, was founded by Daniel Boone in 1775. Lexington, 28 miles to the north, was founded in 1775. Stanford, originally known as St. Asaph, is 10 miles south of Lancaster. It too was founded in 1775. The oldest permanent settlemenet in Kentucky, Harrodsburg, was founded in 1774 and is 18 miles to the west. The present day courthouse is one of the oldest courthouses in Kentucky in continuous use.
Garrard County was formed in 1796 from parts of Lincoln County, Madison County and Mercer County and was the 25th county of Kentucky out of 120. It was named for Col. James Garrard, second Governor of Kentucky and acting governor at the time of the county's establishment.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, visited the Thomas Kennedy home located in the Paint Lick section of Garrard County in her only visit to the South while gathering material for the book. The cabin of the inspiration for Uncle Tom stood behind the plantation house. County officials intend to recreate the slave cabin on the grounds of the Governor William Owsley House.
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