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Hardin County · Frontier · 1780 – 1797

Elizabethtown from Severns Valley

Severns Valley took its name from early explorer John Severns.

Permanent settlement began in spring 1780 when Capt. Thomas Helm, Col. Andrew Hynes, and Samuel Haycraft built three forts in a defensive triangle. Hynes surveyed thirty acres in 1793, donated the town site, and on July 4, 1797, the place was established as Elizabethtown for his wife Elizabeth—soon Hardin County’s seat.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Elizabethtown from Severns Valley." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 12, 2026. Last revised September 15, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/elizabethtown-from-severns-valley/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Elizabethtown from Severns Valley." Kentucky History Drive, published 12 Sept. 2026, last revised 15 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/elizabethtown-from-severns-valley/.

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