We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Kentucky.
The city in Kentucky with the most number of Klaverns was Glasgow with 2 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Olive Hill with 0.0006 Klaverns. There were historically 16 Klaverns in Kentucky, across 12 places in Kentucky with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Kentucky based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Kentucky
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Kentucky
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Kentucky
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Marion County, Kentucky
Lebanon is a home rule-class city in Marion County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,331 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county. Lebanon is located in central Kentucky, southeast of Louisville. A national cemetery is located nearby.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Barren County, Kentucky
Glasgow is a home rule-class city in Barren County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 14,028 at the 2010 U.S. census. The city is well known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by The Progressive Farmer magazine. Glasgow is the principal city of the Glasgow micropolitan area, which comprises Barren and Metcalfe counties.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Campbell County, Kentucky
Newport is a home rule-class city at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area, which includes over 2 million inhabitants.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelbyville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,045 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Clark County, Kentucky
Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 18,368 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Covington is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, lies to its north across the Ohio and Newport, Kentucky, to its east across the Licking. Part of the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan area, Covington had a population of 40,640 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census, making it the fifth-most populous city in Kentucky. It is one of its county’s two seats, along with Independence.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Kentucky
Located in
Boyd County, Kentucky
Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, in the United States. Ashland, the largest city in Boyd County, is located upon the southern bank of the Ohio River. The population was 21,684 at the 2010 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area; with a population of 363,000. Ashland is the second-largest city within the MSA, after Huntington, West Virginia. Ashland serves as an important economic and medical center for northeast Kentucky and is part of the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Kentucky.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kentucky’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Kentucky’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Bluegrass State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Kentucky
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olive Hill | 1,728 | 1 | 58 |
| 2 | Catlettsburg | 1,875 | 1 | 53 |
| 3 | Pineville | 1,971 | 1 | 51 |
| 4 | Lebanon | 5,594 | 1 | 18 |
| 5 | Glasgow | 14,152 | 2 | 14 |
| 6 | Newport | 15,467 | 2 | 13 |
| 7 | Shelbyville | 14,558 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | Winchester | 18,363 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Covington | 40,712 | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Ashland | 21,551 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Frankfort | 27,389 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Louisville | 605,762 | 2 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 12 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Kentucky
When you’re looking at the places in Kentucky with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Kentucky with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Olive Hill, Catlettsburg, Pineville, Lebanon, Glasgow, Newport, Shelbyville, Winchester, Covington, and Ashland.
