Willisburg is located in northern Washington County, Kentucky. The town was incorporated in 1838 and named for Captain Henry Willis of the Kentucky Militia. The first postmaster was Joseph Willis and the Willisburg Post Office was established in 1844. From 1838 to 1839, the town had a Paeola post office. The postmaster of Paeola was William Phelps. Willisburg's post office opened in 1844.
The population of Williamsburg city increased in nine of the past ten years. In 2011, it increased by almost 3%. During the period 2010-2020, the county's population increased by an average of 1.1%. In 2020, the white non-Hispanic group accounted for 68.3% of the population; the black non-Hispanic group increased by seven percentage points, to 14.8%.