Woodford

Formed November 12, 1788 (9^th county)

Woodford County (26,874), Versailles (10,351)

Columns and a working clock tower stand out on the red brick Modern Georgian structure, built in 1968.  It is on the square at Main Street and Court Street.  United States Highway 62 is Main Street in the town.  Clotfelter & Johnson are the building designers.  There was an 1880 previous courthouse following the November 12, 1788 county formation.  A Justice Annex was constructed in 1998.  The county was taken from Fayette County as the 9^th county with Versailles as the only county seat.  The county is named for Revolutionary War General William Woodford.  The county seat is named for Versailles, Frances.  Woodford County was the birthplace of 2 Kentucky Governors, John J. Crittenden and Luke P. Blackburn. 

Woodford County government consists of a sheriff, County Judge Executive, and 8 Magistrates.  Two Circuit Court Judges, Two District Court Judges, and One Family Court Judge serve Woodford, Bourbon, and Scott counties.  The county is in central Kentucky directly to the west of Lexington, Kentucky.  The county center is 1.8 miles South of Versailles.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Scott, Fayette, Jessamine, Mercer, Anderson, and Franklin counties. 

The area of the county is 191 square miles.  It is 107 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 140.7 persons per square mile making it 21 out of 120 in the state.  Woodford County has 45.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 64 goes east to west from Scott County to Franklin County.  United States Highway 60 crosses east to northwest in the county from Fayette County to Franklin County.  United States Highway 62 comes from Scott County to Anderson County, northeast to west.  The county looks like a funnel.  Versailles is in the northern third of the county.  Versailles is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 38.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced VER-SIE.  This county is in the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.