The Naming of
Albany
by local historian David Cross
After the establishment of the county, a mass meeting was
held to determine where the county seat should be located.
There were three proposed locations; Paoli, a village a mile
south of Albany that already has a post office; an area in the
middle of the county in what is now the Wago community;
and a place where Robert Cross had offered to donate a
portion of his land for the public use and where Benjamin
McDowell had a tavern.
Benny McDowell was a strong proponent of establishing the
town at his tavern’s location, and supposedly supplied strong
drink to several in the crowd who started chanting “We’re ALL
for BENNY”, which evolved into “ALL-BENNY”. Benny McDowell
and Robert Cross carried the day, and their location prevailed,
and that further explains the local preferred pronunciation
of “All-Benny”. The official version, “Albany” is named after
Albany, capital of Dewitt Clinton’s home state of New York.
They both make good stories. You decide for yourself which
version to believe.
DID YOU KNOW?
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County was formed in 1835.
Clinton County is 205 square miles.
8.2 of those 205 square miles are made up of water.
Clinton County was named for Dewitt Clinton,
7th Governor of New York
Twin Lakes Family Wellness Center
325 Bobby Grant Drive
Albany, KY 42602
(606)-387-9622
Fax (606)-387-5376
| www.ClintonCoKY.com | 3
/www.ClintonCoKY.com