Danville was
established on December 4, 1787, by the Virginia legislature.
Before recognition
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from Virginia,
Danville and the area had
already become home to numerous settlers, being in the original Great
Settlement Area around Harrod's Fort (now Harrodsburg), which was
first settled in 1774. It was named in honor of Walker Daniel, who
purchased the original site of the settlement from John Crow, another
settler. Walker served as the first attorney general of the Kentucky
District Supreme Court.
Danville became a part of the Commonwealth when Kentucky became a
state in 1792, and was the capital of Kentucky when it was a district
of Virginia. In 1842, Danville became the seat of Boyle County, which
was formed primarily from southern Mercer County and northern Lincoln
County.
Danville is called the "Birthplace of the Bluegrass" because the
state's Constitutional Convention was held at what is now known as
Constitution Square in 1792, when Kentucky's first Constitution was
signed. It is also known as the "City of Firsts" for many reasons. It
housed the first courthouse in Kentucky, had the first post office and
first college campus built west of the Allegheny Mountains, is home of
the first state-supported school for the deaf and more. |
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