Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County Courthouse in Harrodsburg
Location in the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1785
Named for	Hugh Mercer
Seat	Harrodsburg
Largest city	Harrodsburg
Area
• Total	253 sq mi (655 km2)
• Land	249 sq mi (645 km2)
• Water	4.5 sq mi (12 km2), 1.8%
Population
• (2010)	21,331
• Density	86/sq mi (33/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.mercercounty.ky.gov

Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,331. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county was formed from Lincoln County in 1785 and is named for Revolutionary War General Hugh Mercer, who was killed at the Battle of Princeton in 1777.

It is a prohibition or dry county, though Harrodsburg and Pleasant Hill allow the sale of alcohol by the drink. In Kentucky, and perhaps elsewhere, this is referred to as being a "moist" county - wet sells package liquor, wine and beer, dry sells no alcoholic beverages (legally), "moist" serves by the drink, primarily in restaurants. Boyle County (Danville) immediately to the south along US Hwy 127, is fully wet, and has two large liquor outlet stores, plus several smaller, privately owned ones.

Harrodsburg was the first city formally chartered in Kentucky County, the Virginia territory that later became the 15th American state. It was originally the county seat of Lincoln County when it was formed in 1780, but it became the seat of Mercer County when it was created.

Pleasant Hill, also known as Shakertown, is the site of a former Shaker community, active especially during the years before the American Civil War. It is a National Historic Landmark District, consisting of more than 30 historic buildings. The district also includes acres of farm and parkland.