The county was formed on March 4, 1843, from the southeast portion of Hardin County, and was named after former settler John P LaRue. It is the county seat to the town of Hodgenville. The county is surrounded by Nelson, Marion, Taylor, Green, Hart and, Hardin counties. According to the last bereau report, the county has a total are of 264 sq mi and has a population count of 14,193.