Russell County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,565. Its county seat is Jamestown. The county was formed on December 14, 1825, from portions of Adair, Cumberland and Wayne Counties and is named for William Russell. It has been a prohibition or dry county, meaning that the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but in a referendum on Jan. 19, 2016, the county voted 3,833 to 3,423 to go "wet."