Campton, Kentucky

Campton was a camp town with a small creek, Swift Creek (named after Jonathan Swift of the legend of Swift's silver mine), running through the town. Swift supposedly buried treasure in the area which has never been recovered.

Campton is located at 37°44′05″N 83°32′54″W.[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (3.57%) is water.

At the 2000 census there were 424 people in 196 households, including 117 families, in the city. The population density was 393.4 people per square mile (151.6/km²). There were 229 housing units at an average density of 212.5 per square mile (81.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.76% White, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71%.[5]

Of the 196 households 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.2% of households were one person and 14.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85.

The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median household income was $17,778 and the median family income was $21,528. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,167. About 31.8% of families and 34.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.4% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.

Campton has a lending library, the Wolfe County Public Library.[6]

The annual Swift Silver Mine Festival is held on Labor Day weekend each year. It includes a parade and vendors in the downtown area.

• Folk artist Edgar Tolson; Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution was impressed by Tolson's figures, and included them in the 1971 Festival of American Folklife.
• Folk artist Randy Spencer; Well known folk artist and creator of Kentucky Walking Sticks.
• Tyler Booth, Country singer, grew up near the city Campton, Kentucky, population 424, on a farm where he begin playing guitar and writing songs from an early age. Booth signed a major record deal with Sony Music Nashville in early 2020. His voice and song writing talents were discovered while attending college at Morehead State University his freshman year.