Things You May Not Know About Webster County: A Series of Snippets

by Deb Ryan --
It can be interesting to find out things you didn't know, if for no other reason than to say you know it.

If you're looking for some Webster County trivia to share at party, a lunch meeting or maybe to occupy that inpatient person sitting next to you in the doctor's office, here are some snippets to add to your local history knowledge.

- You may know that Webster County is one of the majority of Kentucky counties that are dry (no alcohol sales permitted), but do you also know that Kentucky is one of the few states in the U.S. that its majority of counties have remained dry since prohibition lifted?

- You may know that Webster County's first settler is said to have likely been a veteran of the revolutionary war, William Jenkins. Jenkins constructed an inn that had stagecoach service.

Are you also aware that Meriwether Lewis is said to have stayed there and that Jenkins built two other firsts in Webster County, a gin for cotton and a frame house.

At 103, the man who had worked hard to make it a good place to live was still shown in historical sketches, as a resident in the county.

- You may know that in 2007 (last reported date of United States Census data found by TWCKY for this information type) there were over 900 businesses registered in Webster County. Did you also know the percentage breakdown of ownership given in that reporting?

Women owned twenty-seven percent of Webster County businesses in 2007. There were no Asian, Black, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander owned businesses in 2007. 

Look for more bits of Webster County trivia in TWCKY's Series of Snippets in the future.