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Kentucky County
Mercer County, Kentucky
Harrodsburg - Kentucky's oldest permanent settlement - from Old Fort Harrod State Park (the reconstructed 1774 fort where James Harrod established Kentucky's first permanent English-speaking settlement - predating Daniel Boone's Boonesborough by one year - Old Fort Harrod's reconstructed cabins, blockhouses, and working pioneer village preserve the origins of Kentucky's settlement history) to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill (the largest restored Shaker community in America - 34 original 19th-century Shaker buildings on 3,000 acres along the Kentucky River, where the Shaker community thrived from 1806 to 1910, now a National Historic Landmark and working inn and restaurant).
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Office: Mercer County Emergency Management – 207 W. Lexington Street, Harrodsburg, KY 40330 | (859) 734-6333 | Cell/urgent (859) 613-3256 | Fax (859) 734-0237 | Email: [email protected]; Director Brad Cox.
Sheriff: Mercer County Sheriff’s Office – P.O. Box 126, Harrodsburg, KY 40330 | (859) 734-4221; Sheriff Ernie Kelty. Serves 3,000+ civil/criminal papers and collects $8 million+ in taxes annually.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-127 and US-68 serve Harrodsburg, the county seat, in central Kentucky.
Notes: Mercer County was formed in 1785 and named for General Hugh Mercer, a Revolutionary War hero killed at the Battle of Princeton.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Mercer County Courthouse – 207 W. Lexington Street, Harrodsburg, KY 40330.
Notes: Mercer County holds a genuinely extraordinary concentration of American frontier history. Harrodsburg, founded by James Harrod on June 16, 1774, is recognized (including a formal honor from President Franklin D. Roosevelt) as the oldest permanent American settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains – predating even Boonesborough. Separately, Mercer County is home to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, founded in 1805 and once the third-largest Shaker community in the United States (with a peak population near 500 in the 1820s-1850s). Restored beginning in 1961 as one of Kentucky’s earliest major historic preservation projects, the 3,000-acre site today preserves dozens of original 19th-century Shaker buildings and remains a major heritage tourism destination.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Mercer County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via mercercounty.ky.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mercer County Public Library (Harrodsburg) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill (3,000 acres, historic buildings, Kentucky River boat tours, dining) and Old Fort Harrod State Park (a reconstruction commemorating the original 1774 settlement) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “oldest permanent settlement west of the Appalachians” and “third-largest U.S. Shaker community” distinctions are among the most historically significant American frontier and religious-history facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mercer County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via mercercounty.ky.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mercer County Animal Shelter/Animal Control Center – 896 Moberly Road, Harrodsburg, KY 40330 | (859) 734-5154; Director Wendy Quiggle. No-kill policy.
Mercer Humane Society – 165 Eminence Avenue, Harrodsburg, KY 40330 | (859) 734-9500 | Email: [email protected]; separate nonprofit.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Mercer County Recycling Center – confirm current contact via mercercounty.ky.gov.
NOTES: Mercer County is the third county in Kentucky’s twelfth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine “oldest permanent settlement west of the Appalachians” and “third-largest U.S. Shaker community” distinctions are among the most historically significant American frontier and religious-history facts covered anywhere 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 Mercer County
Mercer County is central Kentucky’s oldest settlement and Shaker village county – Harrodsburg’s 1774 founding as Kentucky’s first permanent settlement and Pleasant Hill’s 34 original Shaker buildings make Mercer County one of Kentucky’s most historically rich communities.
Harrodsburg (the county seat, population ~8,000) is where James Harrod established Kentucky’s first permanent English-speaking settlement in 1774 – one year before Boone’s Boonesborough. Old Fort Harrod State Park’s reconstructed fort preserves this founding moment.
The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill – 34 original buildings – is the largest and most complete restored Shaker community in America.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Mercer County PVA at 207 W. Lexington Street, Suite 101, Harrodsburg, KY 40330, phone 859-734-6330. KY property assessed at fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Mercer County Circuit Court at 207 W. Lexington Street, Harrodsburg, KY 40330, phone 859-734-4213, 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)
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-6310
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-6330
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-6310
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Mercer County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Old Fort Harrod State Park, marking Kentucky’s first permanent European settlement, is a significant local historical resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Mercer 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
Mercer County District Court Mercer County Judicial Center, 224 South Main Street, Harrodsburg, KY 40330
Mercer County is in central Kentucky, seated in Harrodsburg, Kentucky’s oldest permanent settlement (founded 1774).
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
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-4221
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-4221
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-6310
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
207 W. Lexington St., Harrodsburg, KY 40330
(859) 734-6310
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Mercer County Health Dept
(859) 734-4522
KY CHFS — Bluegrass Region
(859) 246-2090
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
James B. Haggin Memorial Hospital
hagginhosp.org (Harrodsburg — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Mercer County Health Department – 900 N. College Street, Harrodsburg, KY 40330 | Clinic (859) 734-4522 | Environmental (859) 734-2229 | Fax (859) 734-0568.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Harrodsburg
Population: 21,000
Area: 251 sq mi
Established: 1786
Tier: 3
Public Records
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