Letcher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,548. Its county seat is Whitesburg. It was created in 1842 from Harlan and Perry counties, and named for Robert P. Letcher, Governor of Kentucky from 1840 to 1844.

History

Settlement and early history

The area now known as Letcher County was first settled in the early–1800s by the Back, Caudill, Dixon, Stamper, Collier, Lewis, Whitaker, Wright, Craft, Brown, Halcomb, Holbrook, and Bentley families. These early families were later joined by the Maggard, Banks, Day, Fields, Morgan, Blair, Breeding, Frazier, Baker, Hogg, Combs, and Mullins families. The first permanent settlement in the county was settled in 1803, at the mouth of Pert Creek, in modern-day Whitesburg. In 1804, George Ison II and his family settled in the area of Linefork. Later, Benjamin Webb brought a group of settlers from Wilkes Co. North Carolina and settled at the mouth of Boone Fork in modern-day Kona, but later moved down towards the mouth of Bottom Fork in modern-day Mayking. Most communities and geographic features in the area were named after these early pioneer families. Most of these early communities were economically supported by timber logging.

Formation

left|thumb|200x200px|Map of Letcher County in 1911

In 1842, the residents of modern-day Letcher County petitioned the state legislature for a new county, as at that time they belonged to Harlan, Perry, and Pike counties. The legislature met in January 1842, and decided to form the new county. The county was formed, as Kentucky's 95th county, from portions of Harlan, Perry, and Pike counties, and named for Robert P. Letcher, who was the governor of Kentucky at that time. Its county seat, Whitesburg, was called Summit City before becoming the county seat. The city was renamed from Summit City to Whitesburg in 1842, in honor of John D. White, who introduced the county's enactment bill in the Kentucky General Assembly.

thumb|231x231px|The third courthouse built by Lemuel R. Perry in 1898 and existed until the 1960s

The first courthouse built by Caudill was built of logs, and had plank trimming. It was demolished in 1897 due to its failing condition and Lemuel R. Perry was commissioned to construct a replacement. The new courthouse was built of bricks, and had a large cupola, with a bell inside to call the jury into session. This new courthouse was heated by stoves and fireplaces until an addition was built in the late–1930s, by the Works Progress Administration. By the 1960s, the courthouse was deemed too small, and prisoners in the jail on the top floor would often escape by pushing apart the bars, climbing out the window, and sliding down a rope of bedsheets. The Area Redevelopment Administration provided funding to build a new one. In the early 1900s, coal mining began in the county. This caused an economic boom as many small communities grew to large coal towns supported by coal companies.

Modern period

Harry M. Caudill's 1963 book, Night Comes to the Cumberlands: A Biography of a Depressed Area, brought the county to national attention. The CBS documentary Christmas in Appalachia (1964) hosted by Charles Kuralt also brought the nation's attention to Letcher County as citizens sent clothes and gifts in response to the conditions of those featured.

left|thumb|207x207px|Scotia mine disaster historical sign

On March 9, 1976, in the community of Oven Fork, an explosion caused by coal dust and gasses occurred at the Scotia Mine, resulting in the deaths of 15 miners. Two days later another explosion occurred, killing 11 more miners. Investigators concluded that the explosions were caused by methane gases that were ignited by a spark caused by a battery-powered device. The accidents are often considered two of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history. The two explosions led to the passage of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.

In July–August 2022, floods came through Eastern Kentucky. A total of 45 people died, three of those deaths occurred in Letcher County. As a result of the floods, many people were left homeless.

On September 19, 2024, then-County Sheriff Shawn Michael (Mickey) Stines was arrested for shooting and killing District Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers.

Geography

Letcher County is located in the far southeast of Kentucky. Most of its border is defined by mountains. The 125-mile long Pine Mountain divides the county, and defines part of the county's border with Harlan County and Virginia. To the south, Black Mountain marks its border with Virginia.

The county's terrain is defined by rugged mountains and blanketed by forests. Jefferson National Forest covers a significant portion of the county. The county's highest point is Black Mountain, located in the southeastern corner of the county, with an elevation of 3,700 feet.

thumb|North Fork of the Kentucky River flowing through Whitesburg, Kentucky

The northern part of the county is drained by Rockhouse Creek, which empties into the North Fork Kentucky River near Blackey, Kentucky. The central portion of the county is drained by the North Fork Kentucky River, which flows from its start at the Kentucky–Virginia border, to where it meets the South Fork Kentucky River in Lee County, Kentucky, to form the Kentucky River. The southern part of the county is drained by the Poor Fork, which flows from its start on Pine Mountain, to Baxter in Harlan County, Kentucky, where it meets Martin's Fork to form the Cumberland River. The western portion of the county is drained by Elkhorn Creek, which flows from its start near Jenkins, Kentucky, to its confluence with Russell Fork in Pike County, Kentucky.

Fishpond Lake

Fishpond Lake is a man-made body of water near Jenkins, in Payne Gap, Kentucky. At its deepest it is 79 feet and averages around 33 feet. The lake is home to several species of fish including rainbow trout, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. It is the only large body of water (other than rivers) in Letcher County. The trail, part of an "adventure tourism" initiative spearheaded by then Governor Steve Beshear, Beshear's wife Jane, and Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo, was completed in 2009.

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010–2020

The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.2% from some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.6% of the population.

There were 9,047 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The superintendent of Letcher County Schools as of 2018 is Denise Yonts. The schools located in the district are:

  • Cowan Elementary School – Whitesburg
  • Fleming-Neon Middle School – Fleming-Neon
  • Letcher County Central High School – Whitesburg
  • Letcher Elementary and Middle School – Blackey
  • Martha Jane Potter Elementary – Whitesburg
  • West Whitesburg Elementary – Whitesburg
  • Whitesburg Middle School – Whitesburg
  • Letcher County Alternative Education Center – Whitesburg
  • Letcher County Area Technology Center – Whitesburg

Jenkins Independent Schools

Students in the Jenkins area are served by the Jenkins Independent Schools, which operates one elementary school and a combined middle and high school with grades 7–12. The superintendent of Jenkins Independent Schools is Damian Johnson. The schools located in the district are:

  • Burdine Elementary School – Burdine
  • Jenkins Middle and High School – Jenkins

Politics and government

<!-- PresRow should be -->

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

| |Mitch Whitaker (R)

| |94

|}

Presidential elections

Letcher County has a somewhat similar political history to West Virginia. Under the Fourth Party System it was a reliable Republican county, voting Republican in every election from 1884 to 1928. However, with increasing unionization under the New Deal it turned for the next sixty to seventy years into a fairly solid Democratic county, apart from the 1956 and 1972 landslides and the candidacy of John F. Kennedy. However, since 2004 as the Democratic Party has become opposed to coal production due to global warming issues, it has become a solidly Republican county.

Governor

In the 2023 Kentucky Gubernatorial Election, popular incumbent Governor Andy Beshear won Letcher County by a margin of 4 points, marking the first instance since 2015 that a Democrat clinched victory in the county in any statewide race.

Senate

Letcher County is a solid Republican county in Senate elections, having re-elected Republican Rand Paul in 2022 with 67.6% (3,873 votes) of the vote over Democrat Charles Booker. In 2020, the county re-elected Republican Mitch McConnell with 71% (6,441 votes) of the vote over Democrat Amy McGrath.

House

Letcher County is part of Kentucky's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Hal Rogers. It re-elected Rogers in 2022, with 79% (4,538 votes) of the vote over Democrat Conor Halbleib.

State senate

Letcher County is part of Kentucky's 29th Senate district, which is represented by Republican Scott Madon. It voted to elect Johnnie L. Turner in 2020, with 54.8% (4,900 votes) of the vote over 20-year Democratic incumbent Johnny Ray Turner.

State house

Letcher County is part of Kentucky's 94th house district, represented by Republican Mitch Whitaker of Fleming-Neon. In 2022, it voted to re-elect Democratic representative Angie Hatton, with 60.7% of the vote.

Local government

Judge/executive

The Judge/Executive is responsible for executing legislation, executing laws passed by the state, informing the fiscal court with the operations of the county departments, boards, and commissions, demanding all offices, departments, boards, commissions, to make an annual financial report to the fiscal court, submitting an annual budget to the fiscal court, administering budget plans passed by the fiscal court, informing the fiscal court with the financial state and needs of the county, and supervising, appointing, removing, or suspending county officials. The judge/executive as of 2024 is Republican Terry Adams.

County attorney

The County Attorney is the legal counsel for the county government. The county attorney's role is to give legal advice to the fiscal court and county officials, and act as a legal representative to county departments, board, or commissions. The county attorney is Democrat Jamie Hatton.

Commonwealth attorney

The Commonwealth Attorney is responsible for attending each circuit court held in their judicial circuit. The Commonwealth attorney has the ability to prosecute violations, and present evidence to a grand jury. , the Commonwealth attorney is Matt Butler.

Property valuation administrator

The property valuation administrator has the ability to assess property within the county and prepare property records. The property valuation administrator is Democrat Ricky Rose.

District judge

The district judge manages juvenile issues, city and county laws, misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, probate of wills, arraignments, domestic violence and abuse, and small civil issues. Until his September 2024 murder, the district judge was Kevin R. Mullins. The magistrates are:

  • District 1 – Jack Banks The members of the school board are:
  • District 1 – Lena Parsons

Economy

Coal companies in Letcher County

  • Alpha Natural Resources
  • James River Coal Company
  • Rhino Resource Partners
  • United Coal Company

Media

Television

Two Public-access television cable TV channels serve Letcher County. The Letcher County Government Channel is Government-access television (GATV), operated by the Letcher County Fiscal Court and airs government meetings, local events, and emergency information. LCPS-TV is operated by the Letcher County Public Schools and airs school announcements, events, and Educational access television programs.

Radio

  • WTCW
  • WXKQ-FM
  • WMMT (FM), community radio station owned by Appalshop
  • WIFX-FM
  • WNKW

Newspapers

Two newspapers serve Letcher County. The Mountain Eagle is a weekly newspaper located in Whitesburg. It has been in operation since 1907 and is owned, edited, and published by the Gish family. The Letcher County Community News-Press is a weekly newspaper located in Cromona, near Fleming-Neon, that has been in operation since 1988.

Transportation

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

Highways

  • 20x20px U.S. Highway 23 – Crosses the eastern part of the county and runs west of Jenkins.