Bardwell was founded in 1874 when a predecessor rail line of the Illinois Central Railroad was extended to that point. It may have initially been known as "Crittenden" after Governor John J. Crittenden, but that name was already in use elsewhere in the state, so the name was changed to "Bardwell." According to some sources, "Bardwell" was the name of a railroad superintendent whose name had been applied to a railroad construction camp near the town site. Other sources suggest the name was inspired by a "boarded well" at the camp. During their session of 1877–1878, the Kentucky General Assembly passed an act incorporating Bardwell. The original municipal boundaries consisted of a circle with a radius of, centered on the local train station for the Illinois Central Railroad. Upon the creation of Carlisle County in 1886, the nearby city ofArlington was initially named the seat of the new county. Bardwell challenged this decision, however, and due to Bardwell's more central location, county officials agreed, and moved the seat to Bardwell.
Geography
Bardwell is located northwest of the center of Carlisle County at . U.S. Routes 51 and 62 intersect in the northern part of the city. US 51 leads south to Fulton on the Tennessee line, while US 62 leads northeast to Paducah on the Ohio River. The two highways together lead northwest to Wickliffe on the Mississippi River. According to the United States Census Bureau, Bardwell has a total area of, all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 799 people, 367 households, and 229 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,335.8 people per square mile. There were 425 housing units at an average density of 710.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94.62% White, 3.00% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.63% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 367 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couplesliving together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.75. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,406, and the median income for a family was $25,500. Males had a median income of $24,028 versus $16,618 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,976. About 19.7% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.
