Carlisle

Formed January 1, 1886 (119^th county)

Carlisle County (4,819), Bardwell (710)

The Modern Greek Revival columned tan brick building, at Paducah Road at John Roberts Drive, was built in 2011 replacing the 1982 courthouse.  Paducah Road is United States Highway 62 east of the city.  Murphy & Graves Architects provided the designs.  There was also an 1886 courthouse in Bardwell, the only county seat.  The county was organized on January 1, 1886 from Hickman County as the 119^th county.  Its namesake is Congressman John Griffin Carlisle.  Bardwell is presumably named for a settler. 

Carlisle County government consists of a sheriff, County Judge Executive, and 3 Magistrates.  One Circuit Court Judge and One District Court Judge serve Carlisle, Ballard, Fulton and Hickman counties.  The county is on the western border with Missouri.  The Mississippi River forms its western border.  Paducah, Kentucky is northeast and St. Louis, Missouri is northwest of the county.  The county center is 4.8 miles Southeast of Bardwell nearer Arlington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Ballard, McCracken, Graves, and Hickman counties and Missouri. 

The area of the county is 192 square miles.  It is 106 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 117 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 25.1 persons per square mile making it 115 out of 120 in the state.  Carlisle County has 20.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 51 goes north to south in the county from Ballard County to Hickman County.  United States Highway 62 enters the northeast corner of the county from Ballard County and joins United States Highway 51 to go back into Ballard County on the northwest corner.  The county is an overall rectangle except for its western river border.  Bardwell is in the western third of the county.  Bardwell is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 14.7% of the county population.