Metcalfe County

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Historical Marker #799 in Edmonton commemorates the naming of Metcalfe County for Kentucky Governor Thomas Metcalfe, who was a War of 1812 veteran.

Born in Virginia in 1780, Metcalfe lived in Fayette County before settling in Nicholas County. He served in the state legislature, and, during the War of 1812, was a company captain in William E. Boswell's regiment of the Kentucky Detached Militia.

Metcalfe, who was known as "Stonehammer" because of his work as a stonemason, was a state legislator, serving from 1812 to 1816. He also served in the U.S. Congress and was elected governor in 1828. According to historian Lowell Harrison, "Metcalfe was one of the state's most progressive governors in the pre-Civil War era." As governor he advocated for internal improvements, including canals and roads. Following his gubernatorial term, Metcalfe was a state senator and U.S. Senator.

Metcalfe died of cholera in 1855 and was buried in a family cemetery plot. When Metcalfe County was formed in May 1860, it was named in his honor.