Vine Grove is a charming city located in Northern Hardin County.
Family comes first here, especially when it comes to youth programs and education. With a population of 7,000 and growing, we are a close-knit community, which is known for hosting annual events like First Fridays, Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony, the Bluegrass Festival, Light Up Vine Grove, and the Christmas for the Kids Auction.
Don’t miss out on all Vine Grove has to offer.
Our community is rapidly growing with new neighborhoods being built for families who want to enjoy a small town atmosphere while living only an hour away from Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville. Vine Grove also has deep military ties due to its proximity to Fort Knox.
History
In the early 1800s, settlers named Vine Grove for the wild grape vines that grew in the area. The community was established on Otter Creek in 1806. During the 1860s, the small settlement moved approximately one mile east to be next to the Illinois Central Gulf railroad line.
When Abraham Lincoln’s family moved from Kentucky to Illinois, their route took them through Vine Grove, thus making the community a part of the “Lincoln Trail”.
During the Civil War, both northern and southern sympathizers lived in the community. When General John Hunt Morgan’s cavalry passed through Vine Grove on its way to raid Indiana and Ohio, a local blacksmith, William Settle, repaired horseshoes for Morgan. After Morgan moved on, Settle was tied to a tree and shot by northern sympathizers.
Unfortunately, fires destroyed much of Vine Grove in 1905 and 1908, but property owners promptly rebuilt.
