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Elkton, Kentucky

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Elkton, the seat of Todd County, Kentucky, has one of the most active small-town public squares I have seen.  Restaurants, services, specialty shops, and more surround the historic Todd County Courthouse.

The former Todd County Courthouse is the centerpiece of Elkton's Public Square.

Elkton, today, is a town of roughly 2100 people.  The city was first called "Elk Fork" after a natural salt lick that attracted elk herds.  Located in the center of Todd County, Elkton was established in 1820 to serve as the Todd County Seat.  The historic courthouse, which serves as the centerpiece of the Elkton Public Square, was built in 1835.  It is currently the second oldest courthouse in Kentucky.  It now serves as the Todd County Welcome Center.

To the left is the former Campbell Drug Store building - the site is the former home of the "Nick and Will House," a tavern that burned to the ground in the 1800s.

Within Elkton Public Square, 20 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Elkton Commercial Historic District, which consists of the Public Square, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989.  The city's Historic Elkton Walking Tour features 16 locations within or near the Public Square, with another 29 locations just outside the Downtown.

An original neon sign for the former Hotel Jefferson Davis.  The hotel closed in the 1970s. Originally named the "Elkton Hotel," it was renamed in the 1910s to the 'Jefferson Davis Hotel" after a renaming contest.

Elkton is near the birthplace of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  The community struggles with the balance of honoring its past while acknowledging the truths of the antebellum South.  Within the square, there remains a neon sign of the old Jefferson Davis Hotel.  Formerly known as the Elkton Hotel, the name changed to the Jefferson Davis Hotel in the 1910s, a period of memorialization for the former Confederacy.  The Hotel closed in the 1970s and is now home to specialty shops and apartments.

Weathers Drugs is the longest continuously operating Drug Store in Kentucky.

Throughout the year, Elkton's Public Square hosts numerous events, including monthly car cruises, Independence Day celebrations, and Christmas Tree lighting.  Elkton hosts an annual HarvestFest in the fall.

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