Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,017. Its county seat is Dixon and its largest city is Providence. It is the southernmost county in the Evansville, IN–KY Combined Statistical Area. The county was formed in 1860 from parts of Henderson, Hopkins, and Union Counties and named for American statesman Daniel Webster (1782–1852). It was mainly pro-Confederate during the American Civil War and was the site of several skirmishes and some guerrilla warfare. Since 2018 it has been a moist county, with Providence and Sebree voting to allow alcohol sales, and Clay doing so in 2022.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. Webster County is part of the Western Coal Field region of Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

  • Henderson County (north)
  • McLean County (northeast)
  • Hopkins County (southeast)
  • Caldwell County (south)
  • Crittenden County (southwest)
  • Union County (northwest)

Demographics

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Elected officials

{| class=wikitable

|-

| colspan="3" |Elected officials as of January 3, 2025

|-

! scope=row|U.S. House

| |James Comer (R)

| |

|-

! scope=row|Ky. Senate

| |Robby Mills (R)

| |4

|-

! scope=row|Ky. House

| |Jim Gooch Jr. (R)

| |12

|}

Communities

Cities

  • Clay
  • Dixon (county seat)
  • Providence
  • Sebree
  • Slaughters
  • Wheatcroft

Census-designated places

  • Onton
  • Poole (partially in Henderson County)

Other unincorporated communities

  • Blackford
  • Derby
  • Diamond
  • Elmwood
  • Fairmont
  • Free Union
  • Hearin
  • Jolly
  • Lisman
  • Little Zion
  • Ortiz
  • Pratt
  • Stanhope
  • Tilden
  • Vanderburg
  • Wanamaker

Notable residents

  • Robert A. Baker, psychologist, author, influential skeptic, and Past Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
  • William O. Head, mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1909 to 1913
  • Kristen Johnson, Miss Kentucky USA 2005, 2nd runner-up Miss USA 2005, Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2000
  • Chris Knight, musician/songwriter.
  • Cale Young Rice, American poet and dramatist.
  • Laban Lacy Rice, educator, author, and President of Cumberland University
  • Garrett L. Withers, represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives
  • Amy Slaton-Halterman, reality TV star
  • Tammy Slaton, reality TV star

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Webster County, Kentucky

References