Simpsonville, Kentucky

Simpsonville was first laid out in 1816 on the petition of Isaac Watkins. It received its first post office in 1821 and was incorporated in 1833. It was named in honor Captain John Simpson; a native Virginian who represented Shelby County in the Kentucky House of Representatives and died in the War of 1812. By 1825 it had become a stage coach town; one of the largest between Shelbyville and Louisville. For most of its history Simpsonville was an agrarian community which dairy, tobacco, cattle, and hogs being the primary source of income for most residents. The town's nickname is 'American Saddlebred Horse Capital of the World'. ==Civil War==

In January 1865 at least 80 members of Company E of the 5th United States Colored Cavalry were transporting 900 head of Federal cattle from Camp Nelson to a stock market in Louisville. They set up camp in Simpsonville and on the morning of January 25 they were attacked by Confederate guerrillas led by Henry Magruder. The guerrillas attacked from the rear killing 22 Union soldiers and injuring over 20 more, at least some of whom were killed after trying to surrender. None of the guerrillas were documented to be injured. Eventually, the wounded were transferred to an Army hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana where a further four more died. The citizens of Simpsonville buried the dead in two mass graves that later became an African American cemetery, ==Post Civil War and 20th Century==

In the years following the Civil War Simpsonville remained a small village of 200 to 300 residents and was a school and church center. It was connected west to Louisville and east to Shelbyville by the Louisville & Eastern Railroad in 1910. An interurban railroad that was purchased by the Louisville and Interurban Railroad in 1911 who operated the line until 1934. In the years following the First World War Midland trail was converted into U.S. 60 providing Simpsonville with a direct link to the U.S. Highway System. created an easy connection to Louisville which allowed Simpsonville to add acres of new residences, factories, warehouses, and retail. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.50%) is water. ==Education==

Early in its history Simpsonville had several one-room schools By 1895 it had four private schools and its first public high school (Simpsonville High School) was built in 1912. and Finchville High School in 1950. The high school closed its doors in 1958 when Shelby County decided to consolidate its school system and it became Simpsonville Elementary school. Following the Civil War all Kentucky schools were segregated. Simpsonville's African-American children attended Simpsonville School and Lincoln Model School. Simpsonville was also the site of the Lincoln Institute, a boarding school for African American founded in 1912. It was built by Berea College in response to the Day Law which forced segregation of all public and private educational facilities and stopped Berea College from admitting any more African American students. Lincoln Institute offered both high school and vocational training until 1966 when declining enrollment caused by Brown v. Board of Education forced it to close. Today the grounds serve as the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Job Corps Training Center. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Simpsonville had a population of 2,990. The median age was 36.0 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.9 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,122 households in Simpsonville, of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.1% were married-couple households, 14.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older., there were 2,484 people, 935 households, and 672 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 935 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.89% White, 6.80% African American, 0.52% Native American, 2.09% Asian, 2.86% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.98% of the population. There were 935 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,000, and the median income for a family was $52,560. Males had a median income of $34,688 versus $27,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,443. About 7.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over. ==See also==