This rustic log cabin, was used by Kentucky pioneers as the first district courthouse, prior to statehood and the split from Virginia. Located in Danville, the courthouse was staffed by prominent early Kentuckians. Samuel McDowell, John Floyd, and George Muter served as the court’s first judges. Walker Daniel, the man for whom Danville is named, was the prosecutor and John May served as the court clerk.
Today, the courthouse stands in Danville’s Constitution Square, the location of prominent early buildings including a meetinghouse, post office and jail which served vital roles in administering the terrority an young state of Kentucky.
It is also the site where numerous constitutional conventions were held to hammer out the details of Kentucky’s first constitution. The state’s first constitution was accepted by the United States Congress on June 1, 1792, making Kentucky the fifteenth state.