HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Founded in 1797, Christian County, Kentucky was named in honor of Colonel William Christian. The area was initially settled primarily by Revolutionary War veterans with farming always having been the focus over the past 200 years. The City of Hopkinsville later got its name in 1804 after Samuel Hopkins who was a soldier of the American Revolution, lawyer and politician.
In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, here are a few pivotal moments in Hopkinsville history that have helped shape the city. This ranges from the area’s connection to integral Native American history, Hopkinsville’s supernatural lore, and the most recent event that gave the city a worldwide platform. Jump to any of the following topics.
Trail of Tears | Night Riders | Schools | Alien Encounter | 2017 Eclipse epicenter
1800s: Native American history
What is now the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park in Hopkinsville was one of the few documented sites of the actual trail and campsites used during the forced removal of the Cherokee people to “Indian Territory” and was used as an encampment in 1838 and 1839.
The park remains a rare burial site for two Cherokee Chiefs who died during the removal from illness – Fly Smith and Whitepath. This relocation has became known as the Trail of Tears, and by Native Americans as The Trail Where They Cried.
The Hopkinsville park was the first non-federally owned site to be certified on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. For the past nearly 40 years, the Trail of Tears Commission sponsors an intertribal Pow Wow in Hopkinsville to celebrate Native culture.
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1900s: Tobacco Wars and Night Riders
Hopkinsville and Christian County’s history with tobacco production dates back decades, with the area historically referred to as the “Black Patch” due to curing process practiced in the region.
The Pennyroyal Area Museum in downtown Hopkinsville dives further into this topic, sharing that in the early 1900s, tobacco farmers in western Kentucky and Tennessee struggled against unfairly low prices put in place by a monopoly known as “the Trust.” To fight back, they formed the Association, but extremists broke off into a group called the Night Riders.
Between 1906 and 1909 masked vigilantes used threats and violence to force farmers into compliance in the Black Patch region, known as the Tobacco Wars. They burned down tobacco warehouses in Hopkinsville and surrounding areas, with authorities often looking the other way. Peace Park downtown is one of those former warehouse sites, after it burned down the land was donated to make a park.
According to the museum, many locals tolerated or supported the Night Riders, seeing the Trust as a shared enemy. Farmers eventually organized against them, and the Tobacco Wars came to an end.
| MORE: Autumn tobacco curing process begins for Christian County farmers, a look at local production
Timeline of public schools, segregation throughout the years
The first high school was established in the city in 1881 on Clay Street and was later named Hopkinsville High School in 1903. In 1912, Hopkinsville High School was moved to Walnut Street.
The present HHS was built at Koffman Drive between 1962 and 1963. Christian County High School was established just before this, opening in 1959 on Glass Avenue. At the time, this school was a consolidation of surrounding campuses that were spread out in various cities in the county. As of 2026, CCHS and HHS will consolidate together at a new Christian County High School.
Built in 1916, Attucks High School served as the first public school for black students in the area. It was named after Black Revolutionary War hero Crispus Attucks who became a symbol of the abolitionist movement.
In 1988, Attucks closed and ceased operations leaving the building to deteriorate. To honor the legacy of the school, local nonprofit Men 2 Be has been actively working to restore the building and create a community center that includes apartments, a functional gym, emergency shelter, food pantry, and spaces for community programming.
| RELATED STORY: Find snapshots of Black history throughout Hopkinsville year-round | PHOTOS
1950s: Little Green Men
The Kelly Little Green Men encounter is considered one of the most well documented and detailed alien sightings. The small town of Kelly tucked in northern Christian County got its claim to fame after five adults and seven children reported seeing small alien creatures, also known as goblins, attacking their farmhouse.
The family is reported to have held off the green men with gunfire for nearly four hours before reporting the incident to Hopkinsville Police. They claimed to see 12 to 15 short, dark figures popping up in windows and doorways.
Visit Hopkinsville’s website further explains this bit of history, detailing that the residents held off the aliens with gunfire for nearly four hours before reporting the incident to Hopkinsville Police. They claimed to see 12 to 15 short, dark figures popping up in windows and doorways.
This encounter has inspired documentaries, several investigations by ufologists, and extensive interviews with families and locals over the years. In 2025, Hopkinsville hosted the first GoblinCon Paranormal Expo to celebrate all things weird and wonderful alongside past Alien Invasion Day events.
2010s: Eclipseville
For just under three minutes on Aug. 21, 2017, a total eclipse occurred, and the city of Hopkinsville was covered in a golden sunset. Kentucky legislature released an official resolution recognizing Hopkinsville-Christian County as the point of Greatest Eclipse and the best place on Earth to view the 2017 North American Solar Eclipse.
For a time, the city transformed into Eclipseville and was filled with over a dozen festivals and events, with local businesses embracing the incoming totality. The estimated economic impact on the city was approximately $28 million, with over 100,000 visitors coming through Christian County. At the time, the City of Hopkinsville reported that people came from 47 different states, three U.S. Territories and 25 different countries.
While the 2017 event was the first total eclipse in nearly 40 years, in April 2024 the country was able to witness yet another eclipse in Kentucky, with path of totality passing over nearby Paducah this time. A beautiful partial eclipse was still visible, with locally events planned in an attempt to relive that magic from 2017.
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