Bullitt County, Kentucky

The Bullitt County Justice Center is located at 250 Frank E Simon Avenue, Sheperdsville, KY 40165; phone: 502-543-7104.

Beginnings [1]

Bullitt County was created in 1796, and the early pioneer activity centered on the salt and iron industries. These were promoted and sustained for the most part by Louisville entrepreneurs who saw the opportunity to exploit Bullitt County's natural resources to the advantage of the business and commercial needs of the Louisville area. In 1779,the first commercial saltworks in Kentucky was established at Bullitt's Lick, and this saltworks became a major source of salt for several years, making the area the hub of the salt trade in pioneer times.

In 1785, a second saltworks was established at Long Lick, and shortly thereafter Joseph Brooks, an early Bullitt County settler and an ancestor of Solomon Neill Brooks, developed the region's third saltworks at Mann's Lick. Thus from the county's initial settlement, the Brooks family has been continuously involved in the area's history, and the Solomon Neill Brooks House exemplifies the family's prominence in the county.

1. Charlotte Schneider, Architectural Historian, Kentucky Heritage Commission, Solomon Neill Brooks House, Bullitt County, KY, nomination document, 1979, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.