Constitution Square State Historic Site
Constitution Square State Historic Site was the birthplace of Kentucky's statehood. In 1776, Kentucky was still a frontier and a county of Virginia. The Wilderness Road, blazed by Daniel Boone, led pioneers through the Cumberland Gap and into Central Kentucky. Danville's prominent location on the Wilderness Road caused it to become a crossroad for early settlers, and a center of political activity. By 1785, Danville was chosen as Kentucky's first seat of government; and a meetinghouse, courthouse and jail were built to administer the growing territory. Still bound to Virginia laws, several Danville citizens formed the Political Club that recognized the need for a convention to discuss statehood.
Between 1784-1792, ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution Square. In 1790, Kentucky delegates accepted Virginia's terms for separation, and the state constitution was drafted at the final convention in April 1792. Shortly thereafter, on June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state in the union, and Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero, was named the first Governor of the Commonwealth!
