Bullitt County History

Jailers of Bullitt County

We are beginning to research the names of the people who have served as Bullitt County Jailor over the years. Thus far, we have the following drawn from several sources researched by Betty Darnell, Charlie Long, and David Strange.

  • 1802 James Chappell
  • 1870 Benjamin Franklin "B.F." (Frank) Troutman
  • 1880 H. Clay Bowman (same as H.C.?)
  • 1893 H. C. Bowman
  • 1900-1901 Charles R. Smith
  • 1903-1905 E. Demoville Jones
  • 1906-1909 James W. Croan
  • 1910-1912 Robinson Lee
  • 1918 W. F. “Frank” Monroe
  • 1923-24 Eph Quick
  • 1936 Embra Deacon
  • ?? - Vernon Jones (father of Adrian Jones)
  • 1943-1957 Tom Hibbs
  • 1957-1967 Everett Heffley
  • 1967-1969 Lula Heffley (wife of Everett, appointed to finish his term when he died)
  • 1970-1986 Billy Roy Shepherd
  • 1987-1997 Ralph Bleemel
  • 1998 Tim Seng (Appointed by County Judge to fill out term of Bleemel)
  • 1999-2010 Danny Fackler
  • 2011-2018 Martha Weaver Knox
  • 2019-2022 Paul Watkins
  • 2022-Present Bryan Whittaker

Here is some additional information about some of these. James Chappell was the first Bullitt County jailer. H. C. Bowman was b. 3 Jun 1844 and d. 14 May 1915. James Croan was b. 26 Jul 1863 and d. 23 Dec 1944. Frank Monroe later became County Sheriff. There were several jail escapes during the tenure of Eph Quick who was b. 11 Dec 1860 and d. 15 Sept 1945. The Museum has a photo of Embra Deacon (b. Oct 1884; d. 25 May 1936), and a photo and obit of Tom Hibbs. He was also County Sheriff 1958-62. He died 1967. The Museum has a photo of Everett Heffley. He died 1967.

We welcome additions and corrections.


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/jailors.html