The story of Williamstown, Kentucky

Williamstown, the seat of Grant County, Kentucky, was founded in 1820. It is named for Captain William Arnold, who gave the land it stands on. Here is how the town began, told in plain words.

A new county, and a town with two names

In 1820 Grant County was formed out of Pendleton County, and it needed a seat. The town that grew up for it stands where the pioneer settlement of Littell’s Station had been.

For about a month the new town was called Philadelphia. Then it emerged that Kentucky already had a Philadelphia, so the name was dropped and the town was renamed in honor of William Arnold, who had donated the land. A post office opened in 1822, and Williamstown was incorporated in 1825.

Captain William Arnold

Arnold was a Revolutionary War captain in the Virginia Line. He served three tours and was badly wounded at Yorktown.

After the war he came to Kentucky. In 1799 he built a log house of poplar. It still stands today: it has been moved twice, and now sits near the Justice Center.

When Grant County was formed he became its first sheriff. He gave the county the ground for its public buildings, and he made sure his neighbors could build too: he handed out timber for three years, and firewood and stone for seven.

In 1821 he built Grant County’s first courthouse, a two-story brick building. The same year he helped start Grant Seminary, the first school in town.

Arnold knew the Marquis de Lafayette. When Lafayette passed through in 1824, Arnold put him up for the night in Williamstown.

The spring the early town drank from still runs, beneath what is now Williamstown Baptist Church.

Cartoon of Willy, the WBA’s character, in a top hat, tailcoat and boots, leaning on a cane on a cobbled street
Willy, the WBA’s character, named for William Arnold. Drawn by a WBA member; a cartoon, not a portrait.

In 1820 William Arnold gave away the timber, the firewood and the stone so his neighbors could build. We are still neighbors handing each other what it takes.

The Williamstown Raid, 1864

On November 1, 1864, a Confederate party of 32 men raided Williamstown. They were after a large sum of U.S. money that was reported to be held in the town. A Kentucky Historical Society marker, number 188, tells the story beside the courthouse steps at 101 N Main Street.

The courthouse you see today

Today’s Grant County Courthouse was built during the New Deal with money from the Public Works Administration. Its cornerstone reads 1937, and the building was finished in January 1939.

The town’s newspaper

The Grant County News has been published in Williamstown since 1906.

Learn more

The Grant County Historical Society keeps the county’s history and cleared this material for use. Visit the Society at historyofgrantcounty.org.

Run a business in town today? Join the Williamstown Business Association.

Sources