It is the home of
Centre College, housing the oldest college administration building and campus west of the Allegheny Mountains.[12]
Danville was part of the Great Settlement Area around Fort Harrod (present-day
Harrodsburg), which was first settled in 1774. The site was originally known as Crow's Station for settler John Crow, but the town was surveyed and platted by Walker Daniel, Kentucky's first district attorney, who bought 76 acres (31 ha) near the
Wilderness Road from Crow in 1783. The city was named for Daniel.[14] The
Virginia legislature officially established Danville on December 4, 1787.[13]
Between 1784 and 1792, ten conventions were held in Danville to petition for better governance and ultimately to secure independence from Virginia. In 1786 the
Danville Political Club was organized. It met each Saturday night at
Grayson's Tavern to discuss the political, economic, and social concerns of the day. After a state constitution was adopted and separation was confirmed in 1792, the town ceased to be of statewide importance. Its leading citizens moved elsewhere.[15]
In November 1806,
Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition, visited Danville while traveling the Wilderness Road to
Washington, D.C., to report on the expedition, which had returned from the Pacific Coast. In December 1806,
William Clark visited his nephews in school in Danville before following Lewis to Washington.[16]
The first school in Danville for African-American children was founded around 1840 by Willis Russell, an emancipated slave of Robert Craddock, a Revolutionary War veteran. Craddock deeded a log house in Danville to Russell. He moved to the town after Craddock's death and started a school for children. The house on Walnut Street no longer stands, though what was once believed to be his house is now the Willis Russell Memorial Cabin. Russell's house stood across the street, opposite St. James African American Methodist Church.
In 1850, Danville and Boyle County backed construction of the
Lexington and Danville Railroad. Money ran out when the railroad reached
Nicholasville.
John A. Roebling had already built towers for a railroad
suspension bridge over the
Kentucky River. (Roebling lived in Danville during the construction.) Despite the railroad not being completed to Danville, the county still owed the company $150,000. It completed payment on time in 1884.[15][17]
In 1860, a fire devastated the city, destroying 64 buildings and causing more than $300,000 in damages. Boyle County's courthouse was destroyed;
its replacement was completed in 1862.[13]
After the
Union Army won the
Battle of Perryville in the
Civil War on October 8, 1862, it appropriated many Danville buildings, including the courthouse, for use as hospitals. On October 11, a Union force drove
Confederate forces from the county fairgrounds through Danville.[18]
In May 1864, the group of 250 – mostly enslaved males but including some
freedmen – marched from Danville to nearby
Camp Nelson in
Jessamine County, where
Colonel Andrew Clark allowed them to enlist In the
Union Army after some initial hesitation. Arriving with wounds inflicted upon them in route, this group was the first to enlist at this site, where 10,000
United States Colored Troops trained.[19]
In 1775, Archibald McNeill planted
Kentucky's first recorded hemp crop at Clark's Run Creek near Danville. By 1889 Boyle County was one of the ten Kentucky counties which together produced more than 90% of the US yield. It was the state's largest cash crop until 1915, when it lost its market to imported
jute.[20]
From the turn of the 20th century through the 1960s, Danville was home to a thriving African-American business sector located on and around 2nd Street on the western edge of what is now
Constitution Square Historic Site. The city demolished this business sector under
urban renewal in the 1970s to provide for the expansion of Constitution Square Park.[21]
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41.2 km2), of which 15.8 square miles (41.0 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.58%, is water.[23]
U.S. Route 127 Bypass encircles the Danville from on the west and south. It runs concurrently with U.S. Route 150 Bypass from its southernmost point to the U.S. Route 150 intersection.
U.S. Route 150 Bypass encircles Danville on the west and south. It runs concurrently with U.S. Route 127 Bypass from the intersection with U.S. Route 127 to its westernmost point.
Norfolk Southern Railway operates a freight rail yard in Danville. Its Louisville-Chattanooga line intersects with its Cincinnati-Chattanooga line just north of Danville.
Climate
Danville has a
humid subtropical climate (
KöppenCfa), with warm summers and moderately cold winters. Precipitation is abundant and well-spread, with an average of 47.85 inches (1,220 mm).
Climate data for Danville, Kentucky (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1933–2020)
As of the
census[31] of 2010, there were 16,218 people, 6,405 households, and 3,903 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,020.0/sq mi (393.8/km2). There were 7,180 housing units at an average density of 451.6/sq mi (174.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.2%
White, 10.9%
African American, 0.2%
Native American, 1.0%
Asian, 1.8% from
other races, and 2.8% from two or more races.
Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.9% of the population.
Of the 6,405 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were
married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.83.
20.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 61.8% from 18 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. Females made up 54.4% and males made up 45.6% of the population aged 18 or older.
As of 2000, the median income for a household was
US $32,938, and the median income for a family was $40,528. Males had a median income of $35,327 versus $24,542 for females. The
per capita income was $18,906. About 9.4% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
FBI crime statistics for 2009 list the crime rate (per 100,000 population) for Danville as follows:[32]
Crime
Danville
Kentucky
United States
Violent crime
258
260
429
Murder
0
4
5
Forcible rape
32
35
29
Robbery
84
84
133
Aggravated assault
142
135
269
Property crime
3,587
2,513
3,061
Burglary
876
689
716
Larceny-theft
2,627
1,683
2,061
Motor vehicle theft
84
141
259
Education
Public schools
Danville Schools includes most of the city limits.[33] It operates Mary G. Hogsett Primary School, Edna L. Toliver Intermediate School, John W. Bate Middle School, and
Danville High School for the city of Danville.
Boyle County Schools operates Woodlawn Elementary School, Junction City Elementary School, Perryville Elementary School, Boyle County Middle School, and
Boyle County High School for portions of Danville and the remainder of Boyle County.
Kentucky School for the Deaf provides education to Kentucky's deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school.
Danville has a lending library, the Boyle County Public Library.[37]
Culture
On March 2, 2010, Danville voted to go "wet" (to permit sale of packaged alcohol and sale of alcohol by the drink without restriction by size of premises).[38]
Places of interest
Art Center of the Bluegrass is in the historic
Beaux Arts building, formerly the Federal Building, that is a hub for local artist activity.[39]
Centre College is a top liberal arts college; it hosted the 2000 and 2012 Vice Presidential debates.
Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge is a 160-acre (65 ha) nature preserve.[40][41]
Millennium Park is a 126-acre park containing walking trails, baseball fields, soccer fields, softball fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, a skateboard park, a dog park, and covered shelters.[46]
Perryville Battlefield is a park that preserves a significant battlefield of the Civil War.
Five venues for theatrical productions live in Danville.
The
Norton Center for the Arts is a state-of-the-art host for performing and visual arts events throughout the year.
Pioneer Playhouse is the oldest outdoor theater in Kentucky, and the first theater officially designated as Kentucky's state theater. It features
summer-stock productions using local and nationally known artists.
West T. Hill Community Theatre is a community theater with an acclaimed company of actors.[47]
Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center is located in Danville High School and is home to the performing arts in the
Danville Schools system.[48]
Boyle County Performing Arts Center is located in Boyle County Middle School and is home to the performing arts in the
Boyle County Schools system as well as being a host for performing and visual arts events throughout the year.[49]
Annual events
The
Great American Brass Band Festival (June) is a free, three-day outdoor festival that features performances from brass bands from throughout the country. Other events have joined the festival like picnics, wine festivals, bourbon tastings, and the Great American Balloon Race.[50]
The Boyle County Fair (June) is a county fair.[51]
Kentucky's
Governor's School for the Arts (July) at Centre College provides an educational springboard for young artists from around the state.[52]
The Kentucky State BBQ Festival (September) provides good music and good food from some of the country's best BBQ pitmasters.[53]
Harvest Fest (September) closes Main Street for a celebration.[54]
The Forkland Heritage Festival (October) celebrates the culture of an historic community.[55]
Perryville Battle Reenactment (October) is an authentic reliving of one of Kentucky's most significant
Civil War battles.[56]
Bourbon Chase (October) is a 200-mile relay footrace through central Kentucky. Danville is a major exchange point.[57][58]
Media and books
The Advocate-Messenger, a twice-weekly (Tuesday and Friday) newspaper, serves Danville and surrounding counties.
Local radio stations include three AM stations:
WDFB-AM (1170),
WHBN (1420),
WHIR (1230), and three FM stations:
WDFB-FM (88.1),
WLAI(107.1), and
WRNZ (105.1).
WDKY-TV was licensed to Danville but its facilities are located in Lexington.
Danville and Boyle County Black history is the subject of a 2022 book published by Arcadia Press, as "African Americans in Boyle County."
Martha S. Jones opens her book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, with her family story of three generations who resided in Danville. Great-great-great-grandmother Nancy Belle Graves was born enslaved in 1808. Nancy's daughter, Susan Davis, organized the Danville Domestic Economy Club for black women which encouraged voter participation and education. Susan and her husband, Sam, were both born enslaved. Fighting in the
Civil War for the
Union, Sam became emancipated upon his 1864 enlistment in the 114th
United States Colored Troops at nearby
Camp Nelson. After the passage of the
Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Sam voted in the
1870 election. Their daughter,
Frances Harriet Williams, organized for the
NAACP, the
YMCA, and served as a presidential advisor.[59]
Films shot in Danville
Raintree County (1957) is a big-budget, epic film set during the Civil War. A short film, Operation Raintree, was shot to promote Raintree County.
Frank X Walker (1961–), Kentucky's first African-American Poet Laureate
Phil Woolpert (1915–1987), Head coach of the University of San Francisco Dons Men's Basketball in the 1950s. He led them to consecutive NCAA Division I Championships in 1955 and 1956
^Jones, Martha S. (2020). Vanguard : how Black women broke barriers, won the vote, and insisted on equality for all. New York, NY: Basic Books Hatchette Book Group. pp. 1–15.
ISBN978-1-5416-1861-9.
OCLC1135569243.
^Wersich, Carol (December 4, 2009).
"Berry completes Pliant buy". Evansville Courier & Press.
Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
^"Burkmann Nutrition". Burkmann Industries, Inc.
Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
^"Denyo". Denyo Co., Ltd.
Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2015.