Bourbon County, Administrative county in Kentucky, United States
Bourbon County is an administrative county in Kentucky located within the Bluegrass Region, characterized by rolling terrain and fertile land devoted mainly to agricultural and equestrian pursuits. The county seat of Paris serves as the administrative center with courthouse and public services.
The county was established in 1786 from Fayette County and named after the French House of Bourbon to honor King Louis XVI's support during the American Revolution. The county seat's courthouse has been rebuilt twice after destructive fires in the 1800s.
The county remains deeply connected to thoroughbred horse breeding, with farms and training facilities woven into the landscape as a way of life. Equestrian traditions shape how people here spend their time and invest their resources.
Visitors should head to Paris to find government offices, the courthouse, and local services concentrated in the county seat. The surrounding rural areas spread across rolling landscapes and are best explored by car.
Early distillers shipped whiskey barrels marked 'Old Bourbon' from local ports, a practice that helped shape the eventual bourbon industry. The county's role in whiskey production became so linked to its name that bourbon itself became the spirit's defining brand.
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