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Kentucky County
Caldwell County, Kentucky
Princeton and the Black Patch Tobacco Wars - Night Riders in western Kentucky - from the Black Patch Tobacco Wars (the 1904-1909 conflict in western Kentucky and Tennessee between tobacco farmers and the American Tobacco Company monopoly - the Night Riders of the Planters' Protective Association, headquartered in Princeton, burned warehouses, destroyed crops, and intimidated farmers who refused to withhold tobacco from the trust - the Black Patch War was one of the most significant agricultural labor conflicts in American history, pitting desperate farmers against one of the nation's most powerful monopolies) and Caldwell County's continued dark-fired tobacco heritage.
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Office: Caldwell County/Princeton PEAC (Public Safety Answering Point) – operated jointly by the City of Princeton and Caldwell County, dispatching the Sheriff’s Office, Princeton PD, Caldwell County EMS, and Princeton/Fredonia/Farmersville fire departments.
Sheriff: Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office – 100 E. Market Street, Room 25, Princeton, KY 42445 | (270) 365-2088 | Fax (270) 365-6177 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Don Weedman; a 12-person office including 6 deputies and 3 court security officers.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. ⚠️ Caldwell County was catastrophically struck by a violent EF4 tornado on December 10, 2021 – part of the historic Western Kentucky tornado outbreak – with the most severe damage passing just south of Princeton, severely damaging the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center and destroying homes near the Princeton Golf and Country Club before the same tornado continued into neighboring Hopkins County.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-62 and the Western Kentucky Parkway serve Princeton, the county seat, in western Kentucky’s Pennyrile region.
Notes: Caldwell County, formed in 1809 from Livingston County, is named for John Caldwell, a participant in George Rogers Clark’s 1786 Indian Campaign and Kentucky’s second lieutenant governor. The county was legally “dry” (prohibiting alcohol sales) until voters lifted the ban in 2013.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Caldwell County Courthouse – Princeton, KY.
Notes: The December 10, 2021 EF4 tornado remains the single most significant recent event in county history – part of a tornado family that traveled 165.6 miles through eleven Kentucky counties and killed 57 people statewide, one of the deadliest and longest-tracked tornadoes in modern U.S. history. Recovery and rebuilding in the Princeton area has continued for years afterward.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Caldwell County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via caldwellcounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Caldwell County Public Library (Princeton) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Princeton’s City/County Park and the surrounding Pennyrile region’s rural landscape are the county’s notable local features.
Notes: The genuine, recent 2021 EF4 tornado disaster is directly relevant to residents’ emergency preparedness and is covered honestly here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Caldwell County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via caldwellcounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Caldwell County Animal Shelter (New Beginnings Animal Shelter) – 489 Baker Hill Road, Princeton, KY 42445 | (270) 365-1000 | Email: [email protected]; Animal Control Officer Tommy Pettit. ⚠️ Accepts Caldwell County residents’ animals only and does NOT accept cats. Hours: Mon-Fri (and some listings show Sat) 10 AM-2 PM, closed Sun. Adoption fees: $80-125 depending on source, including vaccines and spay/neuter; $20 surrender fee for animals dropped off.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Caldwell County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via caldwellcounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Caldwell County is the third county in Kentucky’s third batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine, recent 2021 EF4 tornado disaster is one of the most significant emergency-preparedness-relevant facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Caldwell County
Caldwell County is the heart of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars – the Night Riders who burned warehouses and fought the American Tobacco Company monopoly from 1904-1909 were headquartered in Princeton, and the conflict was one of the most significant agricultural labor uprisings in American history.
Princeton (the county seat, population ~6,500) serves Caldwell County’s dark-fired tobacco, grain, and livestock communities in the western Kentucky Pennyrile region.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Caldwell County PVA at 100 E. Market Street, Suite 28, Princeton, KY 42445, phone 270-365-7227. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Caldwell County Circuit Court at 100 E. Market Street, Princeton, KY 42445, phone 270-365-2264, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-6754
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-2338
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-6754
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Caldwell County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Caldwell County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Caldwell County District Court 105 West Court Square, Princeton, KY 42445 (270) 365-6884
Caldwell County was founded 1809 from Livingston County, named for John Caldwell. Its seat, Princeton, is also its largest city.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Kentucky has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code; probate is governed by KRS Chapter 395 (Administration of Estates), handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided (KRS 24A.120).
Dispensing with Administration – Kentucky’s simplified small-estate procedure, governed by KRS 395.450, 395.455, and 395.470. Available when the value of the personal estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $30,000, and the petitioner is a surviving spouse, adult child, or other qualifying heir/preferred creditor. The petitioner files a Petition to Dispense with Administration (Form AOC-830) with an affidavit listing assets, debts, and proposed distribution – no personal representative or full administration is required. Real estate is generally not covered by this procedure.
Regular (Full) Administration – for larger or more complex estates, the District Court appoints a personal representative (executor if named in a will, administrator if intestate), who gathers assets, pays debts, and distributes what remains under court oversight.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor/Administrator (Form AOC-805) with the District Court in the county of residence.
If there’s a will, the court admits it to probate; it is then recorded with the county clerk (KRS 394.140).
The personal representative files an Inventory and Appraisement (Form AOC-841) of estate assets.
Notice to creditors is published; creditors generally have 6 months from appointment to file claims.
The personal representative pays valid debts, taxes, and expenses.
A Settlement of Estate (Form AOC-846) is filed, and the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Filing fees and publication costs are collected by the clerk and vary somewhat by county.
Kentucky does not require an attorney for probate, though it is commonly recommended, especially for formal administration.
Typical timelines: full probate generally takes 6-12 months; the creditor claims period is 6 months. Dispensing with Administration can move significantly faster once the estate qualifies.
Before distribution, a surviving spouse may petition for release of up to $2,500 from the estate as an exempt charge against estate property.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-2932
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-2932
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-6754
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 E. Market St., Princeton, KY 42445
(270) 365-6754
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Caldwell County Health Department – confirm current contact via chfs.ky.gov local health department directory.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Princeton
Population: 13,000
Area: 346 sq mi
Established: 1809
Tier: 3
Public Records
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