Russellville

• Mills GardnerPerson · 1830-1910

How Russellville began

Russellville was platted in 1817 by Russell Shaw, a blacksmith who had learned his trade in New York, on part of a 200-acre tract of unbroken forest he bought in 1816 in Jefferson Township, and took his name. It stood midway between the farms to the north and the pork- and wheat-market at Ripley, so its taverns did well, and in October 1852 it held the first Brown County fair. The town was incorporated in 1854, was the only town in Jefferson Township, and had 542 residents in 2020.

Settled 1816 (Russell Shaw bought the tract), platted 1817, incorporated 1854, by Russell Shaw.

Where the name comes from

Named for its founder, Russell Shaw, who platted the town in 1817.

Before the town

No Native village, mound or trail specific to Russellville is recorded in the sources checked. The 1883 county history describes the site in 1816 as an unbroken forest with no sign of settlement except a road that passed near it toward Ripley. It places the line between Shawnee and Miami hunting grounds across Brown County. The site lies within the 1795 Treaty of Greenville cession and the Virginia Military District.

Nations recorded here: Shawnee, Miami.

Timeline

1. 1816 — Russell Shaw buys 200 acres of unbroken forest on which Russellville will stand; only a road toward Ripley passes nearby.
2. 1817 — Russell Shaw lays out Russellville and it takes his name; the first sale of lots that autumn brings $840 for thirty-two lots, the first bought by Seth Gardner, and Shaw builds the first house on Lot 29.
3. c. 1825 — A post office is established at Russellville, thought to be between 1825 and 1828, with Alfred Beasly as first postmaster.
4. 1830 — A brick Presbyterian church, 40 by 70 feet and costing about $1,100, is built in the east part of town after the congregation resolved in 1829 to build.
5. 1834 — Russell Shaw opens a small store, about 1834; before then Russellville residents traded at Maysville, Kentucky.
6. 1835 — Michael Benner comes from Pennsylvania to Russellville and begins making hats, working at it with success for a number of years.
7. 1842 — The Miller brothers build a steam sawmill in Russellville.
8. 1848 — Russellville Lodge No. 166, Free and Accepted Masons, is chartered on September 27.
9. 1852 — The first Brown County fair is held at Russellville in October, on a lot beside the Disciples church; a second fair in October 1853 was the last held there before the fairs moved to Georgetown.
10. 1853 — Jefferson Township, of which Russellville is the only town, is cut off from Byrd Township by the county commissioners in June and holds its first election August 16 at John C. Davis's tavern.
11. 1854 — Russellville is incorporated, with one square mile of territory; in 1855 a two-story brick school with primary, intermediate and high departments is built.
12. 1871 — The Russellville and Winchester Turnpike is built in 1871 and the Russellville and Georgetown Turnpike in 1872, under laws letting commissioners tax land within two miles of the road.
13. 1874 — Russell Lodge No. 573, Odd Fellows, is chartered May 16 and instituted June 20.
14. 1880 — Census: 478 residents (386 in 1850, 394 in 1900, 459 in 1990).
15. 2020 — The census counts 542 residents; Russellville Elementary School is the village's school.

Stories

The first Brown County fair, 1852

The Brown County Agricultural Society held its first fair at Russellville in October 1852, with Alex Campbell as president, John Glaze as secretary and Samuel Glaze as treasurer. Livestock was shown in a ring made by roping off a small piece of ground with a rope tied to deep-driven stakes, and the vegetables, machinery and manufactures were laid out inside the Presbyterian church next door. Premiums were small but, the county historian wrote, were a strong incentive. A second fair was held in October 1853 on the lot where the steam flouring mill later stood, and it was the last at Russellville; afterward the fairs went to Georgetown.

A hotel town on the road to Ripley

For years all the wheat raised for fifteen or twenty miles north of Russellville, and the hogs that were driven to be packed for foreign markets, went down the road to Ripley on the Ohio. Russellville lay midway, and the county history says a profitable hotel business was long maintained there, and that coopering, with its flour, pork and whisky barrels for the Ripley trade, also flourished in the town's early days. The first hotel was kept by Calvin Shaw and the second by Seth Gardner; Henry Prine ran one from the opening of business at Ripley until about 1848, and later keepers included Main, Conn and John Williamson. Before Russell Shaw opened a store about 1834, the village's first residents went to Maysville, Kentucky, to trade.

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org

No water-system data is linked to Russellville's ZIP codes yet.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

Public schools (1)

Police stations (1)

Spills reported since 2021 (1)

Money issues on the ballot since 2021: 2 of 2 passed.

Ballot issues

Elections for office

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked. The county's results on file run through 2024-03-19; later elections are not loaded yet.

Auditor of State record

• No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
• Financial Audit, 2020 to 2021, released 2026-02-10

Statewide question: State Issue 3: Voter ID

Local questions for Russellville, Brown County and its school district:

• Russellville Village: Renews a 4-mill property tax levy for the fire protection & EMS of Russellville Village for 5 years, beginning in 2027.
• Russellville Village: Renews a 2-mill property tax levy for the EMS of Russellville Village for 5 years, beginning in 2027.
• Brown County: Renews a 0.8-mill property tax levy for the provide & maintain senior citizens services or facilities of Brown County for 5 years, beginning in 2027.

Races, candidates and every question for an address: your ballot. County offices and judges are on your county board's sample ballot.

Cite this page