Creating and maintaining roads has long been the duty of Kentucky county courts. Actions by the court establishing new roads and modifying existing roads are referred to as "road orders." Careful study of a county's roads offers insight into the social and economic development of the county. The collection of road orders recorded in Clark County Order Books describes the expansion of the road network throughout the county-where roads were located, when they were opened and when they were changed. In addition, road orders are a rich source of individual names and early place names-villages, watercourses, churches, schools, mills, etc. The "Road Book," located in the county clerk's office at the courthouse in Winchester, is an index to all the road orders in Clark County Order Books. It gives a description of the road, the date of the first order, and the order book and page numbers where the road orders can be found.