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Washington County · Frontier · 1776 – 1816

Springfield Founding and Washington County Seat

Washington County was the first county formed by the first Kentucky General Assembly in 1792, and it was named for George Washington.

AI illustration of Matthew Walton, Kentucky congressman, about 1803
Matthew Walton AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

Springfield, its seat, was laid off in 1793 by Gen. Matthew Walton, a Revolutionary War veteran and legislator who owned more than 200,000 acres in the county. The town's name came from the springs in the area.

Settlers first came into the area in 1776. Abraham Lincoln, the President's grandfather, came to this part of Kentucky in 1782, and the President's parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, married in Washington County in 1806.

Kentucky today

The Washington County courthouse in Springfield was built in 1816. When the state historical marker was written in 1965, it was the oldest courthouse in Kentucky still in use as one.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Springfield Founding and Washington County Seat." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 22, 2026. Last revised October 13, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/springfield-founding-and-washington-county-seat/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Springfield Founding and Washington County Seat." Kentucky History Drive, published 22 Sept. 2026, last revised 13 Oct. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/springfield-founding-and-washington-county-seat/.

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