Carroll County

In 1794, the town of Port William was established at the confluence of the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers just two years after that portion of Virginia known as Kentucky County officially became the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In 1838, officials carved Carroll County out of portions of Gallatin and Trimble Counties and renamed the town Carrollton in honor of Charles Carroll, the last surviving man to have signed the Declaration of Independence. Over the years, Carrollton became well known for solid wood furniture and bourbon whiskey, and in the 1900s it became one of the top marketplaces for burley tobacco. For decades, Carrollton and Ghent, a city to the east, were common stops for steamboats and river barge traffic. Though still mostly agricultural, the county, halfway between Cincinnati and Louisville, is home to several steel and chemical plants, as well as General Butler State Resort Park.

Images of America: Carroll County was compiled by Phyllis Codling McLaughlin, a former editor of the News-Democrat, Carrollton's weekly paper published since 1868. The photographs were contributed by numerous sources, including the City of Ghent, the Port William Historical Society, the Carroll County Public Library, and private family collections.