Ghent, Kentucky

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Historical Marker #911 in Carroll County commemorates the community of Ghent, Kentucky, which is named for the treaty that ended the War of 1812.

The town traces its roots back to 1809. At that time, about thirteen families lived in the area, and a settlement called McCool's Creek was laid out on land owned by Samuel Sanders.

According to local tradition, Henry Clay visited the area in 1816 and suggested that the town be called Ghent, in honor of the treaty of Ghent, Belgium, which ended the War of 1812. Clay had been one of the American negotiators at Ghent, part of a team led by John Quincy Adams. The treaty ending the war was signed on December 24, 1814.

Although the war officially ended that Christmas Eve, it took time for the news to spread across the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the Battle of New Orleans, fought on January 8, 1815, took place after the war officially ended.

The name of this Carroll County community traces its roots back to the War of 1812.