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Kentucky County
Union County, Kentucky
Camp Breckinridge and Union County's WWII legacy - from Camp Breckinridge (the massive WWII Army training camp established in Union County in 1942 - at its peak housing 35,000 soldiers and 3,000 German and Italian POWs - Camp Breckinridge was one of the largest military installations in the mid-South, and its economic impact transformed Union County during the war years - the camp's POW labor worked local farms and its veterans returned to settle the area) and Union County's significant Western Kentucky Coal Field mining heritage.
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Office: Union County Emergency Management – 510 South Mart Street, Suite B, Morganfield, KY 42437 | (270) 389-3975. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Sheriff: Union County Sheriff’s Office – 100 West Main Street, Morganfield, KY 42437 | Mailing: PO Box 30 | (270) 389-1303; Sheriff Jason Thomas. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM. Tip Line: (270) 389-2524.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Non-emergency dispatch: (270) 389-4357.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-60 and KY-56 serve Morganfield, the county seat, on the east bank of the Ohio River in far western Kentucky, near the tri-point where Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois meet (alongside Posey County, IN and Gallatin County, IL).
Notes: Union County was created effective January 15, 1811.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County Courthouse – Morganfield, KY (built 1872, National Register of Historic Places, part of the Morganfield Commercial District).
Notes: Union County holds a genuinely remarkable piece of World War II history: Camp Breckinridge, an Army infantry training center activated in 1942 near Morganfield, became the first Army base in the United States to house German prisoners of war when a trainload arrived in May 1943. At its peak the camp housed 55,000 people across 1,800 buildings; up to 3,000 German POWs (with some Austrian and Italian prisoners) were held there under a work program, and one prisoner, Daniel Mayer, painted murals of European scenes on the walls of a camp service club that still survive today. That building now houses the Camp Breckinridge Museum and Arts Center, offering guided tours of this history. The camp was later reactivated for Korean War training (1950-54) and National Guard summer training through 1962, before closing and being converted into a Job Corps center.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Union County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via unioncountyky.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Union County Public Library (Morganfield) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Camp Breckinridge Museum and Arts Center is the county’s most historically significant attraction, alongside the historic Union County Courthouse and Morganfield Commercial District.
Notes: The genuine WWII POW history at Camp Breckinridge – the first U.S. Army base to house German prisoners of war – is a remarkable and lesser-known piece of American history covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Union County Property Valuation Administrator – confirm current contact via unioncountyky.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Union County Animal Control – 908 Sandy Lane, Morganfield, KY 42437 | Mailing: PO Box 60 | (270) 389-3000 | After-hours (270) 389-4357 | Email: [email protected]; Director Kathy Baird. Dogs-only county shelter (helps with cats where possible); 5-day stray hold before adoption availability. Since 2014 has offered income-based spay/neuter vouchers. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Union County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via unioncountyky.org.
NOTES: Union County is the fourth county in Kentucky’s sixteenth batch under the Round 3 A+ sourced standard. The genuine WWII POW history at Camp Breckinridge – the first U.S. Army base to house German prisoners of war – is a remarkable and lesser-known piece of American history 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 Union County
Union County is western Kentucky’s Camp Breckinridge county – the WWII Army training camp that housed 35,000 soldiers and thousands of German and Italian POWs transformed this Ohio River coal county during the war years, and the mining heritage that sustained the community for generations defines its industrial character.
Morganfield (the county seat, population ~3,200) serves the county’s coal, agricultural, and Ohio River communities near the Illinois border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Union County PVA at 100 W. Main Street, Suite 12, Morganfield, KY 42437, phone 270-389-1933. KY residential assessed at 100% of fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
Union County Circuit Court at 100 W. Main Street, Morganfield, KY 42437, phone 270-389-1785, 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 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1334
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
100 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1744
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1334
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1872 Union County Courthouse and the Morganfield Commercial District, both NRHP-listed, are significant local landmarks.
Local societies
No dedicated Union 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
Union County District Court Union County Courthouse Annex, 121 South Morgan Street, P.O. Box 59, Morganfield, KY 42437 (270) 389-1811
Union County was created effective January 15, 1811, on the east bank of the Ohio River in western Kentucky, splitting from Henderson County by near-unanimous vote. Its seat, Morganfield, is also its largest city. The 1872 Union County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1776
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
100 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1776
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
100 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1334
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 W. Main St., Morganfield, KY 42437
(270) 389-1334
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Union County Health Dept
(270) 389-2421
KY CHFS — Green River Region
(270) 687-7000
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
Methodist Hospital Union County
methodisthospital.net (Morganfield — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Union County Health Department – confirm current contact via unioncountyky.org.
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