Robertson County was created in 1867. Located in the northeastern Buffalo Trace area of Kentucky, the County was formed from portions of Nicholas, Harrison, Bracken, and Mason Counties. It was the 111th County formed in the Commonwealth. Blue Licks Battlefield State Park is approximately 10 miles south of Mount Olivet, the county seat.

The county is named for Judge Robertson, born November 18, 1790 near Harrodsburg in Mercer County, Kentucky. This unusual man denied a third term in the United States Congress, and refused appointments to attorney-general for Kentucky, governor of Arkansas territory, and minister to each of the countries of Columbia and Peru. Instead, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives, as Speaker for five of those seven years in the House; served as secretary of state; appointed to the court of appeals, becoming chief justice a year later. He resigned from the court in 1843 to be elected again in 1864. Paralysis and almost total blindness forced him to resign in 1871.

Robertson County is situated in the northeast middle section and is bordered on the north by Bracken and Mason Counties, on the east by Mason and Fleming, on the south by Nicholas, and on the west by Harrison.

The surface of the county is hill, but the land can be cultivated. The timber is mostly oak, but with poplar, sugar tree, beech, hickory, and walnut intermingled. The productions and exports are tobacco, corn, oats, wheat, rye, and livestock

 

In April of 1868, the first of several committees appointed to draft plans for the building of the Court House was appointed, being, N.A. Tilton, L. B. Cameron, and J. K. Hester. In July 1868, Thomas Owens, William Prather, O. S. Deming, and J. A. Buckler were appointed to correspond with ‘undertakers’ as to the cost and plan of a Court House. At the same meeting, James B. Ogden, Thomas Owens, and W. M. Chandler were appointed to receive bids for the building of a County Jail upon the Court House Square. In August, William C. Miller submitted the lowest bid for furnishing the cells, lining the inside of the jail and furnishing the tin roof. The committee was ordered to enter into contract with Miller and Powers for the completion of said building and to superintend the same. On April 24, 1869, Hugh Powers was ordered paid $2,125.34 for material for the jail and a note was drawn on the Banking House of Pearce Wallingford and Company, Maysville for this amount and was signed by Duncan Harding, James B. Ogden, James Bratton, and John McDowell, members of the County Court and they were pledged the security of all subscriptions for Public Buildings in the year 1869, together with the jail house and appurtenances. William C. Miller produced his account for $2050 for furnishing materials and building the jail and jailhouse. A note was drawn for $1500 on Pearce Wallingford and the remaining $550 was ordered paid from the County Treasurer.

            As early as 1868 a special tax was levied for Public Buildings and was fixed at 10 cents upon each one hundred dollars of taxable property and $1.50 per capita on each taxpayer in the County. On February 12, 1872 the Court officially decided to make the Courthouse a brick structure instead of a frame building as had originally been planned, and G. M. Williams was awarded the contract. The actual date of completion of the building is uncertain but at the November 17, 1873 meeting of the Court it was ordered that Williams be notified to complete the Courthouse according to contract within two weeks of this date. The Justices were also notified at this meeting to appear at the Courthouse on a day to be named for the purpose of receiving the Courthouse and necessary orders pertaining thereto. 

            Money for the building of the Public Buildings was raised by special tax, and also several different people loaned money to the County for this purpose, however, still suffering a shortage the Court received from the Blue Lodge FAM the sum of fifteen hundred and on November 25, 1875 deeded to the Lodge the upper story of the Courthouse. 

            According to a recapitulation made in 1873 by W. M. Chandler, County Treasurer, $7,084.72 was paid to G. M. Williams for the construction of the Courthouse. In addition he was paid twenty cents per book space and fifteen cents per pigeonhole for the shelving of the vault.

The Johnson Creek Bridge once carried KY 1029 across Johnson Creek north of Blue Licks State Park in southern Robertson county.   Built in 1874, it was a 131-foot Smith truss design bridge.   On south side of SR 1029 just south of Swart Road, over Johnson Creek.   The bridge was restored in 2008 -2009.  

Location: N38° 28.938' W83° 58.705'

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************