Gratz, Kentucky
| Gratz, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Gratz, Kentucky |
|
| Coordinates: 38°28′28″N 84°57′10″W / 38.47444°N 84.95278°WCoordinates: 38°28′28″N 84°57′10″W / 38.47444°N 84.95278°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Owen |
| Named for | the grandson of Sen. John Brown |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 449 ft (137 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 89 |
| • Density | 255.8/sq mi (98.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 40327 |
| Area code(s) | 502 |
| FIPS code | 21-32428 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0493173 |
Gratz is a home rule-class city in Owen County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 89 at the 2000 census.
The local post office was established in 1844 as Clay Lick from its position above Clay Lick Creek. The present city was laid out in 1847 on land supposedly owned by the heirs of Sen. John Brown and was probably named for his grandson B. Gratz Brown, who later became a senator from and governor of Missouri and made a failed vice-presidential bid in 1872 with Horace Greeley of the Liberal Republicans.
The town was incorporated in either 1861 or 1881.
Before the lock and dam system was built on the Kentucky River, Gratz was one of the most prosperous towns in the area due to the business of portaging goods around an unnavigable part of the river (Lock #2 is just up river at Lockport). Goods were also ferried across the river and transported up KY 22 to Pleasureville, which had a railroad depot.
The town's streets are laid out in a grid pattern. There is a local bank, and many large, well-built houses. Before public electric service was available, a diesel powered generator fed street lights (and some homes?) from dusk until about 10pm. A former operator of this plant reported that he learned how much fuel to put into the engine so that it would run out at the desired time (saved him a trip down the hill).
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