Bullitt County History

Bullitt-Jefferson Counties Line - Brier Creek to Elk Lick

The boundary between Jefferson and Bullitt Counties, as it ran through the knobs of the western parts of both counties, was still uncertain by the 1840's. It was generally said to run between the mouth of Brier Creek where it emptied into Pond Creek and a place called Elk Lick to the northeast.

It appears that the General Assembly passed at least two acts regarding this issue, one in 1840 and the other in 1844, and in November 1846 a commission was established to survey and run the line between those two points. They completed their task on November 21st and submitted their report to the Bullitt County Court which is transcribed below.

Note that some of the names mentioned in this report are very difficult to read and may be incorrectly transcribed. Images of the original order book pages are also provided below.


Bullitt County Order Book G, Pages 464-5

L. E. Schultz, surveyor of Bullitt County and others commissioned for that purpose under the Act of the General Assembly of Kentucky for that purpose, made report of the running and marking of the line from the mouth of Brier Creek to the Elk Lick - the divisional line between the counties of Bullitt and Jefferson - which said report and division was ordered to the court to be entered of record, viz -

"To the Honorable the Bullitt County Court
In compliance with two Acts of the Legislature of Kentucky passed, the one in 1844 and the other in 1840, appointing the undersigned committee to run and mark that portion of the boundary line between Jefferson and Bullitt Counties, which commences at the mouth of Brier Creek and runs in a direct line to Elk Lick - We the undersigned commissioners met at the mouth of Brier Creek on Monday, November 16, 1846, and after selecting two suitable chain carriers, viz Wilson Bidwell and George W. Moore, all were duly qualified by John Jones Esq., Justice of the Peace of Jefferson County - We then took a course at random towards the Elk Lick, N 66° East running and course clear through, and missing the Elk Lick 38 poles, having run this distance too far into Jefferson, the length of the same being 3019 poles - We then proceeded to mark a direct line to the mouth of Brier Creek S 66° 42' West, marking the trees with two chops on a level and one above it or thus / _-_ /, passing Hiram Hutchinson's house and leaving the same in Jefferson by 24 poles, passing George Collins' house near the road from Knob Creek to Louisville leaving said house in Jefferson by 16 poles, passing Joseph Snatton's house on Brier Creek leaving the same in Jefferson County by about 40 poles, passing Henry Horine's house on Brier Creek leaving the same in Bullitt by about 40 poles, passing over the center of J. C. Pendleton's house on Brier Creek now occupied by Nat Hutchinson, passing Samuel Brown's house on Brier Creek leaving the same in Jefferson by about 80 poles, passing the Widow McDaniel's and Harrison McDaniel's house leaving the same in Jefferson by about 11 1/2 poles, passing James McDaniel's house leaving the same in Bullitt by about 16 poles to the mouth of Brier Creek where we landed on Saturday, November 21, 1846, having been engaged in running said line every day since the one of beginning.
November 21, 1846
L. E. Schultz, S.B.C. & Commissioner
Thomas D. Davis, S.J.C. & Commissioner
James C. Pendleton, Commissioner on part of Bullitt County
Joshua F. Speed, Commissioner on part of Jefferson County
Wilson Bidwell & G. W. Moore, chain carriers"
And said report and line as run is approved by this court.


If you, the reader, have an interest in any particular part of our county history, and wish to contribute to this effort, use the form on our Contact Us page to send us your comments about this, or any Bullitt County History page. We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you feel that we have misspoken at any point, please feel free to point this out to us.

The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Jan 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/briercreek-elklick.html