An institutional survey of a ten per cent sample of Kentucky counties pointed out the primacy of the county seat over all other activity centers in rural Kentucky. That is, in these rural counties the seat of government has experienced institutional diversification while other centers have experienced institutional loss. In order to understand fully the process of uni-center ascendency, this writer analyzed the histories of three service centers in a rural Kentucky county. In the early years of this century all three centers were institutionally diversified and approximately parallel to each other in activity. Today only one of these centers, the county seat, is still active. The analysis of these three centers has revealed that the governmental functions of the county seat have been the deciding factor in the competition. (Author)