Formed in 1867 from portions of Harlan and Knox counties, Bell County was named after Joshua Fry Bell. Built on the original Wilderness Road in 1775, Bell County’s original courthouse has since been destroyed on three different occasions. Two separate occasions in both 1914 and 1918 by fire and the final time by flood in 1977. Sitting at 361 square miles, Bell County is home to 26, 569 residents.