Bonnieville

History

Founded in 1849, the town was originally known as Bacon Creek, for the stream that runs through the city. It is rumored that the name was changed to Bonnieville because of the popularity of the song "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean". On December 26, 1862, the Confederate John Hunt Morgan sent a detachment from Upton to the bridge over Bacon Creek in Bonnieville. A brief firefight with a detachment of the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment resulted with the destruction of the bridge for a third time and the wounding of 23. The railroad remained closed for six weeks until the tracks could be repaired and reopened on February 1. Bonnieville was incorporated as its own city in 1955, when it was full of tourists who were using U.S. Route 31W to reach Louisville and Nashville. Businesses included restaurants, gas stations, a barbershop, a roller rink, and Bonn Theater. Most of the city's businesses closed after Interstate 65 was finished in the 1970s, which enabled travelers to reach Louisville and Nashville without going through Bonnieville. On November 5, 2024, in an effort spearheaded by Melody Shanaberger, residents voted 67–60 to dissolve Bonnieville into Hart County, effective December 8. Shanaberger, who moved to the town from a nearby goat farm in 2021, said her tax dollars (she paid about $30 a year in taxes) weren't leading to concrete improvements in the town.

Geography

Bonnieville is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. U.S. Route 31W passes through the middle of Bonnieville, with most of the city concentrated around this highway's two intersections with Kentucky Route 728. Bonnieville is accessible from Exit 71 on Interstate 65. Part of the original main line of the historic Louisville and Nashville Railroad (now CSX) passes through the city. Bacon Creek, a tributary of the Nolin River, bisects the city.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,248
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,060
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  995
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  979
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  928
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  877
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  869
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  855