Upton

History

Upton was founded in 1841, and was initially known as "Leesville." It was renamed in 1856 in honor of George Washington Upton, who had helped develop the area as a stop along the L&N Railroad. Upton was one of the targets of Confederate John Hunt Morgan during the Civil War. Upton was on the L&N Railroad, one of the key north–south railroads for the Union. The train station and nearby bridges were attacked during the day on December 26, 1862. The Union forces were quickly defeated and Morgan took advantage of the telegraph station in Upton to gather intelligence on Union troop disposition. Morgan then left Upton to destroy bridges at nearby Bacon Creek in Bonnieville and on the Nolin River.

Geography

Upton is located on the Hardin County/LaRue County line at (37.462175, -85.895335), near the southeast and southwest corners, respectively, of the two counties. U.S. Route 31W passes through the center of the city and follows the county line. The two-lane highway leads north to Sonora and south to Bonnieville. Much of Upton is concentrated around the intersection of US 31W and Kentucky Route 224, which runs westward in the direction of Leitchfield. Interstate 65 runs along Upton's eastern boundary, with access from Exit 76. I-65 leads north to Elizabethtown, the Hardin County seat, and south to Cave City. According to the United States Census Bureau, Upton has a total area of , of which , or 0.35%, are water.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,230
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,012
• Tufted Titmouse

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

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  956
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  874
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  856
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  848
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  840