On 5 Feb 1868 the General Assembly approved an act to charter the town of Mt. Washington. We have transcribed this act below. In 1890 this charter was revised extensively by the General Assembly, and we have transcribed it on another page.
Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Passed at the Regular Session of the General Assembly Begun and Held in the City of Frankfort on Monday, the Second Day of December, 1867, pages 451-453.
CHAPTER 329.
AN ACT to Charter the Town of Mount Washington, Bullitt County.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
§ 1. That the inhabitants within that part of Bullitt county, residing within the boundaries of the town of Mt. Washington, are incorporated as a town, by the name and style of Mt. Washington, and shall be a body corporate and politic forever, having the power and right to sue and be sued, contract and be contracted with, by the name and style of Mt. Washington, and to have and use a common seal, and the same to alter and amend at pleasure, or to act without such seal.
§ 2. That the fiscal, prudential, and municipal concerns and interests of said town, with the government and control thereof, shall be vested in a board of five trustees, who shall be elected by the qualified voters of said town, in each year, on the first Monday in April, and who shall hold their office for one year, and until their successors are elected and qualified; all of whom shall be bona fide residents, have resided within the limits of said town not less than one year before the day of election, and shall be citizens of Kentucky, over twenty-four years of age; and shall, before they enter upon the duties of said office, take an oath before some officer legally authorized to administer an oath, that they will well and truthfully, and faithfully, to the best of their skill and ability, discharge the duties of said office, which oath shall be certified by said officer and entered upon the records of the proceedings of said board of trustees; they shall annually elect one of their own number chairman, and he shall execute all contracts made by said board, and shall cause the proceedings of the board of trustees to be entered by the clerk of the board of trustees in a book to be provided for that purpose, and shall, as chairman, sign his name to said record of the proceedings at each meeting of the board of trustees; the said board of trustees shall have the power and authority to adopt, make, or pass any ordinance or by-law, not contrary to the constitutions and laws of this and the United States, which may be necessary for the good government and regulation of said town and all of its concerns; and may pass by-laws or ordinances at any time to levy and collect an annual tax upon, and from the citizens of said town, and upon the real and personal estate therein; but said tax shall not in any year exceed fifteen cents on each one hundred dollars in value of said real or personal estate; and shall not in any year exceed two dollars tithe tax; and the tithe tax shall not be assessed against a female, or any male under twenty-one years of age. The said board of trustees may annually elect a clerk, marshal, assessor, and such other officers or agents as they may consider expedient, and may require bond and security from them, or any of them, for a faithful discharge of the duties, which bond may be taken in the name of "Mt. Washington," or in the name of the trustees in office for the time being; and may contain any other conditions or stipulations deemed fit and proper by said board; and may be sued on in the proper court, and recovery had in the name and for the benefit of said town, as in other cases of official bonds in this Commonwealth. The said officers shall take the constitutional oaths of office, and also to well and truly discharge the duties of their respective offices as required by law, and the by-laws or ordinances of said town. The said board of trustees shall have the power and authority to pass by-laws or ordinances to suppress tippling-houses, houses of ill-fame, bawdy-houses, gambling-houses, disorderly houses, and the retailing of spirituous, or malt or fermented liquors, or either, without license; to prohibit any show or exhibition within said town for pay, without license from said board of trustees; and to pass all by-laws or ordinances to promote the good government of said town in all of its municipal relations and affairs; but no such by-laws or ordinances shall be contrary to the laws and constitution of this State or United States. The said board of trustees shall have power to enforce said by-laws or ordinances, by making the person or persons who violate either or any of them, or any provisions thereof, subject to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, and not less than five dollars for each offense, to be recovered, with costs, in the name of the said town, before any court having jurisdiction thereof; and upon any such judgment a fi. fa. or ca. sa. execution may be issued. The said trustees shall have the right and power to tax taverns, stores, and places of public resort, or places where ardent, fermented, or other liquors are sold by wholesale or retail, and to adopt and make regulations and rules for the government of all such places of public resort, and to enforce the same by adequate fines and penalties.
§ 3. The qualifications for voters within said town for said board of trustees shall be the same as required for State representative; and resident citizens of said town, who actually pay any of the taxes herein authorized to be levied, shall be exempt from working upon public roads outside of the limits of said town. The following persons shall be the board of trustees until the first Monday in April, 1869, and until their successors are elected and qualified, to-wit: J. C. Dent, S. Carothers, W. T. McGee, B. H. Hobbs, and C. Hough. It shall be the duty of the clerk of said board to give notice of each election, and to conduct the same as judges thereof, and certify the pollbooks.
§ 4. The marshal of said town shall have all the power and authority of a conservator of the peace, to execute and enforce the by-laws or ordinances of said town and the penal laws of this State within said town; and the said board of trustees may require all other necessary and proper duties to be performed by said marshal or any other town officer; and may, for causes, at any time, on due notice, remove either of said officers from office and elect another person to fill such vacancies, as the board of trustees may fix by ordinance or by-law.
§ 5. That the net amount of taxes on real and personal estate and tithe tax, and for licenses, and collected for fines, shall be applied by said board of trustees to the improvement of the streets and towards the supply of water within said town, and for any other public improvement which adds to the comfort of the citizens of said town; and a majority of said board, exclusive of the chairman, shall be necessary to form a quorum, and a majority of the said quorum to do or perform any act binding upon said town. The chairman may call meetings of the board of trustees at his pleasure, or two of the trustees may call a meeting of the board of trustees at any suitable time; all meetings of the said board shall be in said town, and regular meetings may be fixed by ordinance or by-law of the board; at all meetings, the chairman shall have the right to preside, when present, and give the casting vote in case of a tie, but not otherwise vote.
§ 6. Nothing in this act shall exempt tavern-keepers or others from any revenue tax or license tax; and this act shall take effect from its passage; and all acts concerning said town of Mt. Washington, contrary to the provisions of this act, are repealed.
Approved February 5, 1868.
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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: 01 Mar 2026 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/mtwashingtoninc.html
