While many cities in Kentucky have unique claims to fame, only one can call itself the Birthplace of Kentucky, and that is Danville, which was settled in 1783 and incorporated in 1787.
During its 238-year history, Danville has witnessed a number of important events – from the creation of the state of Kentucky itself to hosting vice presidential debates in 2000 (Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman) and 2012 (Joe Biden and Paul Ryan).
Since its very start, Danville has been an important place.
From 1784-1792, Danville hosted 10 constitutional conventions to hammer out the details of separating the area that is now Kentucky from what had all been Virginia. Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792 with the signing of the state’s first constitution.
But that was just the first of many notable milestones to occur in Danville, which also earned the nickname “The City of Firsts.” Those “firsts” include:
- Kentucky’s first courthouse, built in 1785.
- The first political club in the west, formed in 1786.
- Being the first capital of Kentucky (before Frankfort), occurring in 1785.
- Having the first United States Post Office west of the Alleghany Mountains, opening in 1792.
- Having the first college in the west with the opening of Transylvania University in 1783. The school later moved to Lexington.
- Having the first law school in the West, opening in 1799.
- Having the first state-supported school for the deaf (Kentucky School for the Deaf), which opened in 1823.
- Being the location of the first successful ovarian tumor removal surgery, which took place on Christmas Day in 1809 in downtown Danville at the home of Dr. Ephraim McDowell.
- Being home to the oldest college administration building and campus west of the Allegenies at Center College, which dates back to 1819.
Along with Danville’s many historic “first,” the city is also known for a number of other unique attributes, like being home to Pioneer Playhouse, Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre which has several Hollywood connections. Danville is also home to country musician John Michael Montgomery, as well as gospel singer Larnelle Harris. Downtown you’ll find the very unique GLASS National Art Museum, home to the works of glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell.
Participate in some of the Boyle County America’s 250 events in 2026 and you’ll likely learn something new about Danville, or you can just stroll around town and visit places like Constitution Square and the McDowell House Museum and you’ll soon realize why Danville is such a significant part of the Kentucky’s history.