View source for Midway, Kentucky

{{for|other communities by the same name|Midway, Kentucky (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Midway, Kentucky
| settlement_type    = [[list of Ky cities|City]]
| named_for          = its location relative to [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]] and [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Midway Main Street.jpg
| imagesize          = 220px
| image_caption      = East Main Street in Midway
| image_flag         = Flag of Midway, Kentucky.svg
| image_seal         = 
<!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Woodford County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Midway Highlighted 2152140.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Midway in Woodford County, Kentucky.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kentucky]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Kentucky|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Woodford County, Kentucky|Woodford]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Grayson Vandegrift
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Established
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = January 31, 1835
| established_date2  = February 7, 1846<ref name=sos>Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office "[http://apps.sos.ky.gov/land/cities/citydetail.asp?id=265&city=Midway&idctr=265 Midway, Kentucky]". Accessed 23 August 2013.</ref>

<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.37
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.37
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 1718
| population_density_sq_mi = 1255.85

<!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 833
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|08|52|N|84|41|11|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 40347
| area_code          = [[Area code 859|859]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-52140
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2404256<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404256}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_est     = 1744
| website            = {{URL|https://www.meetmeinmidway.com/}}
| area_total_km2     = 3.55
| area_land_km2      = 3.54
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| population_density_km2 = 484.79
| flag_link          = midwayflag.com
}}
[[File:Midway Ky.jpg|thumb|View looking west from intersection of Highway 62 and Main Street]]
'''Midway''' is a [[Home rule|home rule-class city]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.klc.org/UserFiles/files/ClassificationReformFACT(3).pdf |title=Summary and Reference Guide to House Bill 331 City Classification Reform |publisher=Kentucky League of Cities |access-date=December 30, 2014}}</ref> in [[Woodford County, Kentucky|Woodford County]], [[Kentucky]], in the United States. Its population was 1,741 at the time of the year [[2020 U.S. census]]. It is part of the [[Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area|Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

The town sits just off Interstate 64 and among several major [[thoroughbred]] breeding operations, such as [[Three Chimneys Farm]] and former Gov. Brereton Jones’ Airdrie Stud. In 2003, faced with a declining downtown, the city began major streetscape renovation project as part of [[Main Street Kentucky]].{{clarify|date=August 2013}} New period structures and lighting brought new life to the town. It is known for its distinctive shops and restaurants. An active business association holds events every month of the year, and the city is a starting point or waypoint for several road races that wind through the surrounding countryside.

==History==
Before its European exploration, the area around Midway was inhabited by the [[Mound builder (people)|Mound Builders]].{{which|date=August 2013}} Two large and several smaller American Indian mounds have been identified on nearby farms.<ref name="hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.meetmeinmidway.com/history/ |title=Midway Kentucky: History |access-date=2011-05-22 |publisher=City of Midway |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131092856/http://www.meetmeinmidway.com/history/ |archive-date=2011-01-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The present city began as a small settlement known as '''Stevenson's''' at the time of its first post office in 1832.<ref name="ren">Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Lac2FUSj_oC&pg=PA197 p. 197]. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 August 2013.</ref> On January 31, 1835, the local farmer John Francisco sold his {{convert|216.375|acre|adj=on|sp=us}} farm to the [[Lexington and Ohio Railroad]] for $6,491.25. The railroad then used the land to establish Kentucky's first [[railroad town]], naming it '''Middleway''' for its location relative to [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] and [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]], Kentucky.<ref name="ren" /> (The town is also equidistant between [[Versailles, Kentucky|Versailles]] and [[Georgetown, Kentucky|Georgetown]].) The major streets of Midway were named in honor of the railroad's original officials.<ref name="hist" /> It was renamed '''Midway''' in 1837.<ref name="ren" />

[[Midway Historic District (Midway, Kentucky)|Midway Historic District]] comprises much of downtown Midway, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

===Distilling Bourbon in Midway===
Midway has a very rich history of distilling Bourbon for nearly a 100-year period from 1865 to 1959. The Distillery was located at the corner of Gratz Street and Dudley Street, nestled in the bend of the Lee's Branch of the North Elkhorn Creek. There were several owners over the years, with the Distillery operating under various business names. Buford, Guthrie & Co. 1865–67, A. Buford Distillery 1867–68, Keller Distillery 1868–77, 1878–89, S.J. Greenbaum Distillery 1890–1911, Belle of Anderson Distillery 1912–14, Midway Distilling Co. 1915–24, Destroyed by fire in 1924 and closed from then till 1933, rebuilt and operated as the Woodford County Distilling Company 1933–40, Park & Tilford Distillery 1941–53, Schenley Products Distillery 1954–59. Early in the 1960s, Schenley Products donated the property, building and equipment to the Midway Woman's College. Notable national brand names produced include, Belle of Bourbon, Belle of Lexington, Belle of Anderson, Glenarme, Arlington, Jessamine, and Woodford. Two buildings still remain, currently known as Kentucky Cannabis Company, previously a distilling building and The Midway Loft Apartments, previously an aging warehouse. A large Distillery warehouse fire occurred on August 4, 1908, where over 47,000 barrels of bourbon where destroyed. The Lee's Branch was on fire for over one mile, and several Midway residents were scorched dipping tin cups into the Lee's Branch for Bourbon and Water. Martin Street next to the Lee's Branch was nicknamed “Tin Cup Alley”. The Midway Fire Department was recognized for saving the City and the Female Orphan's School.

In 1920, during a robbery of the distillery, Benjamin Rodgers and Homer Nave were killed. Richard W. James, was arrested for the killings. He admitted to the robbery but denied shooting the men, and claimed that the facility's superintendent of bottling, Samuel Seay, had a deal with James and others to share the proceeds of the stolen liquor. James was convicted of murder, but one member of the jury refused to vote for his execution on religious grounds. On March 13, 1921, a [[Lynching|mob]] took James from the county jail in [[Versailles, Kentucky]] and lynched him from a tree near Margaret College, about a half-mile from Versailles. No one from the mob was indicted and, when [[list of governors of Kentucky|Gov.]] [[Edwin P. Morrow]] removed the sheriff from his post, local voters elected his wife to replace him.<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/doc/183071674/OFFICIALS-MAKE-WIDE-SEARCH-FOR-NEGRO-KILLER Officials Make Wide Search For Negro Killer]  ''Lexington Herald'', October 9, 1920. Retrieved November 10, 2013.</ref><ref>[https://www.scribd.com/doc/183071636/SECOND-VICTIM-OF-DISTILLERY-BATTLE-DIES-IN-HOSPITAL Second Victim of Distillery Battle Dies In Hospital]  ''Lexington Herald'', October 10, 1920. Retrieved November 10, 2013.</ref><ref>''Woodford Sun'': "[https://www.scribd.com/doc/159589704/Lynching-Follows-Hung-Jury-in-Murder-Trial Lynching Follows Hung Jury in Murder Trial]". 17 March 1921. Accessed 11 August 2013.</ref><ref>[https://www.scribd.com/doc/183009651/Alleged-Slayer-Taken-From-Jail-Sunday-Morning Alleged Slayer Taken From Jail Sunday Morning] ''Lexington Herald'', March 13, 1921. Retrieved November 10, 2013.</ref>

==Geography==
Midway is located in the northern section of Woodford County in the [[Bluegrass region|Bluegrass]] region of Kentucky, an area with farms that produce tobacco, corn, soybeans, cattle, and horses.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.1|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 402
| 1870 = 532
| 1880 = 950
| 1890 = 1185
| 1900 = 1045
| 1910 = 937
| 1920 = 915
| 1930 = 808
| 1940 = 886
| 1950 = 950
| 1960 = 1044
| 1970 = 1278
| 1980 = 1445
| 1990 = 1290
| 2000 = 1620
| 2010 = 1641
| 2020 = 1718
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 1744
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,620 people, 623 households, and 409 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1484.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 672 housing units at an average density of {{convert|615.7|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 89.81% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.72% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.31% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.06% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.17% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.93% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.42% of the population.

There were 623 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.

21.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,909, and the median income for a family was $60,326. Males had a median income of $35,795 versus $32,500 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $24,528. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Arts and culture==

* '''Francisco's Farm Arts Festival''' The focus of the mid-May event is the outdoor exhibition of juried fine art and fine craft, giving the opportunity to meet and purchase art from the creators themselves. It is located at the campus of Midway University, 512 E. Stephens St., Midway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.franciscosfarm.org/ |title=Francisco's Farm Arts Festival |access-date=2009-03-08 |publisher=Francisco's Farm}}</ref>
* '''Midway Fall Festival''' has been named one of Kentucky's top 20 festivals. The festival features crafts, food and other items from more than 200 vendors; demonstrators; entertainment, and children's activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midwayfallfestival.org/ |title=37th Annual Midway Fall Festival |access-date=2009-03-08 |publisher=Midway Fall Festival}}</ref>
* '''Midway Independence Day Celebration''' is called "Sparks in the Park," at Walter Bradley Park, the city park on Dudley Street.

==Education==

===Current schools===
* Northside Elementary serves Kindergarten o 5th grade (founded 1992)
* [[Midway University]], a private institution that went coed in 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://midwayky.blogspot.com/2018/05/admitting-men-boosted-midway-univ-and.html|title=Midway Messenger: Admitting men boosted Midway Univ., and changed its culture; some women weren't happy, but have adjusted|last=Cross|first=Al|date=2018-05-31|website=Midway Messenger|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref> (founded 1847 as the Kentucky Female Orphan School)

===Defunct schools===
* Midway Elementary (closed 1992, succeeded by Northside Elementary)
* Midway High School (closed 1964, succeeded by [[Woodford County High School (Kentucky)|Woodford County High School]])

===Public library===
Midway has a [[public library|lending library]], a branch of the Woodford County Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202017/https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2019 | title=Kentucky Public Library Directory | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | access-date=7 June 2019}}</ref>

==Climate==
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Midway has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=704551&cityname=Midway,+Kentucky,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Midway, Kentucky Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Noah Mullins]], [[American football]] player.
*[[Abraham Perry]], trainer of Kentucky Derby winner
*[[Sam Shepard]], playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, and director
*[[Davey Whitney]], [[College basketball]] coach
*[[Steve Zahn]], actor<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/tv-star-steve-zahn-may-save-the-world-but-saving-his-minnesota-cabin-comes-first/478333683/|title=TV star Steve Zahn may save the world – but saving his Minnesota cabin comes first|last=Justin|first=Neal|date=March 30, 2018|website=Star Tribune|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Midway (Kentucky)}}
* [http://www.meetmeinmidway.com/ City of Midway Website]
* [http://www.woodfordcountyinfo.com Woodford Chamber & Tourist Information Center Website]

{{Woodford County, Kentucky}}
{{Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Area}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Woodford County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1835 establishments in Kentucky]]