Elizabethtown, County seat in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States
Elizabethtown serves as the county seat of Hardin County in central Kentucky, roughly 44 miles (71 kilometers) south of Louisville. The town sits at an elevation of about 221 meters along main transport corridors connecting it to other parts of the state.
Colonel Andrew Hynes founded the settlement in 1797, after the site had been known as Severns Valley Station since 1779. Around 1870, General George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry was stationed here during a military operation targeting local distilleries.
The town takes its name from Elizabeth Hynes, wife of the founder in the late 1700s. As the administrative center of the county, it houses many public buildings, courts, and local services that shape daily life for residents.
A community college campus operates in town and has provided educational programs for the region since 1964. The town is easily reachable via several highways and works well as a base for exploring the surrounding area.
Abraham Lincoln's parents lived here in the early 1800s before moving to nearby Hodgenville. Today, several sites in town recall this connection to the future president's family.
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