Jessamine County, Kentucky

Jessamine County (/ˈdʒɛsəmᵻn/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2014, the population was 50,815. Its county seat is Nicholasville. The county was founded in December of 1798.

Jessamine County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is within the Inner Blue Grass region, long a center of farming and blooded stock raising, including thoroughbred horses. The legislature established a commercial wine industry here in the late 18th century.

History

Jessamine County was established in 1798 from land given by Fayette County. Jessamine was the 36th Kentucky county in order of formation. The county was named for Jessamine Douglass, the daughter of a pioneer settler. Most of the early pioneers were from Virginia, who came through the mountains after the American Revolutionary War.

In the late 18th century, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill to establish a commercial vineyard and winery, based in Nicholasville and the first in the United States, known as First Vineyard. Wine making based on European grapes became widespread in the United States. After the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the county voted to prohibit alcohol sales. As it allowed an exception for the "wet" city of Nicholasville, where package alcohol sales are allowed, it is classified as "dry." The Chrisman Mill Vineyards is authorized to operate and sell its product in the dry portion of the county.