Graves County
| Graves County, Kentucky | |
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Graves County Courthouse in Mayfield
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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 | 1824 |
| Named for | Benjamin F. Graves |
| Seat | Mayfield |
| Largest city | Mayfield |
| Area | |
| • Total | 557 sq mi (1,443 km2) |
| • Land | 552 sq mi (1,430 km2) |
| • Water | 5.0 sq mi (13 km2), 0.9% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 37,121 |
| • Density | 67/sq mi (26/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Graves County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,121. Its county seat is Mayfield. The county was formed in 1824 and was named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, a politician and fallen soldier in the War of 1812.
Graves County comprises the Mayfield, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL Combined Statistical Area.
Graves County is a "limited" dry county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except for wine and beer in restaurants. In 2016, the county voted to become a "wet" county but that attempt failed. Later in the year, a ballot measure was proposed and passed within the city limits of Mayfield (the county seat) to allow alcohol sales in stores and gas stations.
Graves County was named for Capt. Benjamin Franklin Graves, who was one of numerous Kentucky officers killed after being taken as a prisoner in the disastrous 1813 Battle of Raisin River in Michigan Territory during the War of 1812. He disappeared while being forced by Potawatomi to walk to the British Fort Malden in Amherstburg, Ontario. The Indians killed prisoners who could not keep up. Nearly 400 Kentuckians died in the January 22 battle, the highest fatality of any single battle during the war.
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