Hart

Formed February 6, 1819 (61^st county)

Hart County (19,281), Munfordville (1,684), Horse Cave (2,218)

A red brick Neo-Classical courthouse was constructed in 1928 to replace the 1893 facility.  It sits on a square at Main, South, Caldwell, and Union streets.  Main Street is United States Highway 31 West in the town.  Thomas J. Nolan provided the designs.  A Justice Center was built in 2009.  The grounds feature a gazebo, veteran memorials, and a cannon. 

Hart County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Magistrates (legislative.)  One Circuit Court Judge and Two District Court Judges serve Hart, LaRue and Nelson counties and a court clerk serves Hart County (judicial.) The county is located in central Kentucky.  Louisville, Kentucky is northeast and Bowling Green, Kentucky is southwest of the county.  The county center is 3.6 miles Northeast of Munfordville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hardin, Larue, Green, Metcalfe, Barren, Edmonson, and Grayson counties.  The county was established on February 6, 1819 from Hardin and Barren counties as the 61^st county.  Munfordville has always been the county seat.  War of 1812 hero Nathaniel G. T. Hart is the namesake of the county.  Settler Richard Jones Munford is the namesake of the county seat.  Hart County was the birthplace of 1 Kentucky Governor, Simon B. Buckner. 

The area of the county is 416 square miles.  It is 30 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 62 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 46.3 persons per square mile making it 75 out of 120 in the state.  Hart County has 21.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 65 travels north to south through the county from Hardin County to Barren County.  United States Highway 31 East crosses north to south from Larue County to Barren County.  United States Highway 31 West parallels Interstate Highway 65 from Hardin to Barren counties.  The overall look of the county is a baseball home plate.  Munfordville is near the center of the county.  Horse Cave is on the southern border of the county.  Munfordville is the county seat and Horse Cave is the largest city.  Munfordville is 8.7% of the county population while Horse Cave is 11.5% of the county population.