Welcome to Wilmore, Kentucky

Small town charm

What makes Wilmore such a “special place” — a place where “history and small town charm are an integral part of everyday life”?

Wilmore is a turn-of-the-century village located on the Norfolk Southern Railroad Line near historic High Bridge in Jessamine County. The city’s Main Street is a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Settled in 1770 by Revolutionary soldiers from Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland, the city of Wilmore is situated near one of the most breathtakingly beautiful areas of the American countryside; the Big Bend of the Kentucky River and the breathtaking limestone formations of the Kentucky Palisades.

Wilmore is also located in the center of Jessamine County, considered the “Garden Area” of Central Kentucky with lush vegetation, rambling creeks and considerable Kentucky River frontage. Because of the awe-inspiring beauty of its surroundings, this area has been documented in diaries and journals from its earliest settlements as a place of natural wonders.

The town was primarily influenced by Asbury University, established in 1890. Asbury was named after Bishop Francis Asbury, the first Methodist bishop in America, who in 1790, started a frontier school called Bethel Academy not far from the current campus.

The magnificent High Bridge railroad structure, considered an engineering marvel of its time and featured by the Smithsonian institution, is an honored landmark that spans the Kentucky River near the confluence of the Dix. When built in 1877, it was the highest railroad trestle in the world.

From the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape, and the quaint turn-of-the-century downtown which features architecture from the 1890s, to the colonial revival structures of Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary, it’s easy to see why Wilmore’s visitors and residents think of it as a “special place” — but don’t take our word for it. Come to one of our many community events, visit one of our friendly restaurants, B&B’s, and shops, or simply take an afternoon drive to our lovely High Bridge Park. Whenever and wherever you go when you visit Wilmore, we invite you to make yourself at home–and enjoy!