Knott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,251. Its county seat is Hindman. The county was formed in 1884 and is named for James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky (1883–1887). As of 2024 the county is now wet. Its county seat is home to the Hindman Settlement School, founded as America's first settlement school. The Knott County town of Pippa Passes is home to Alice Lloyd College.

History

Knott County was established in 1884 from land given by Breathitt, Floyd, Letcher, and Perry counties. The 1890s-era courthouse, the second to serve the county, burned in 1929.

The first elected county officials were county clerk Lewis Hays (an early settler of The Forks of Troublesome defeating fellow early settler F. P. Allen), county judge David Calhoun, county attorney Fielding Johnson, sheriff Madison Pigman, jailer Isom Slone, and county assessor Hiram Maggard.

The political lines drawn in the early politics of the county were largely along divisions between the early settler families of The Forks, inherited from Civil War differences.

Adjacent counties

  • Magoffin County (north)
  • Floyd County (northeast)
  • Pike County (east)
  • Letcher County (south)
  • Perry County (southwest)
  • Breathitt County (northwest)

Summits

Big Lovely Mountain,

Demographics

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Knott County had historically voted very strongly for the Democratic Party. In 1992, 75% of Knott County residents voted for Democrat Bill Clinton for US president, the highest percentage for Clinton of any county in the state. However, in recent years, Knott County has voted more favorably for the Republican Party. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain became the first Republican to win Knott County in a presidential election by winning 52.6% of the vote to Barack Obama's 45%.

When Governor Ernie Fletcher appointed Republican Randy Thompson as County Judge Executive in 2005, it was the first time the county ever had a Republican Judge Executive. Thompson won re-election in 2006 and again in 2010, making him the first Republican to win election in a Knott County office. Randy Thompson was later convicted in federal court of running a vote buying scheme and sentenced to 40 months in the federal prison system.

Elected officials

{| class=wikitable

|-

| colspan="3" |Elected officials as of January 3, 2025

|-

! scope=row|U.S. House

| |Hal Rogers (R)

| |

|-

! scope=row|Ky. Senate

| |Scott Madon (R)

| |29

|-

! scope=row|Ky. House

| |John Blanton (R)

| |92

|}

Economy

Coal companies in Knott County

  • Alpha Natural Resources
  • James River Coal Company

Areas of interest

Tourism is increasing in the county, especially the popularity of elk viewing. Knott County and its surrounding counties are home to 5,700 free ranging elk, the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River. There is an ATV Training Center dedicated to the safety of ATV usage amongst riders and the Knott County Sportsplex, a sports complex which has indoor basketball courts, outside baseball fields, a soccer field, and a fitness center.

Media

Television

Hometown24

Radio

  • WKCB-FM
  • WKCB-AM
  • WWJD-FM

Newspapers

  • Troublesome Creek Times

Communities

Cities

  • Hindman (county seat)
  • Pippa Passes
  • Vicco (part)

Unincorporated communities

  • Anco
  • Bath
  • Bearville
  • Betty
  • Breeding Creek
  • Carrie
  • Dema (part)
  • Elic
  • Elmrock
  • Emmalena
  • Fisty
  • Garner
  • Handshoe
  • Hollybush
  • Indian Grave
  • Irishmans
  • Jones Fork
  • Kite
  • Leburn
  • Littcarr
  • Mallie
  • Mousie
  • Pine Top
  • Raven
  • Redfox
  • Ritchie
  • Sassafras
  • Slone Fork
  • Soft Shell
  • Spider
  • Talcum
  • Tina
  • Topmost
  • Vest
  • Wiscoal

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by LKLP Community Action Partnership with demand-response service and scheduled service from Hindman to Hazard.

Notable residents

  • Lige Clarke (1942−1975), LGBT activist, journalist and author
  • Rebecca Gayheart (born 1971), actress and model
  • Carl Dewey Perkins (1912−1984), politician and member of the United States House of Representatives
  • James Still (1906–2001), author folklorist
  • David Tolliver, musician; member of country band Halfway to Hazard
  • 20th Century Fox filmed several scenes in the county for a nationally released movie Fire Down Below

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Knott County, Kentucky
  • Robinson Forest

References

Further reading

  • The Kentucky Highlands Project