Lee County, Kentucky
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 10 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1976. Most listings are in or near Beattyville, Zachariah, Mount Olive.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Kentucky is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Lee titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP2 of 10 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
10 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Track Petroglyphs (15LE112) | Mount Olive | 1989 |
| Beattyville Grade School | Beattyville | 2008 |
| Beattyville Historic District | Beattyville | 2024 |
| Big Sinking Creek Turtle Rock Petroglyphs | Mt. Olive | 1992 |
| Cold Oak Shelter (15LE50) | Zachariah | 1996 |
| Old Landing Petroglyphs (15LE113) | Old Landing | 1989 |
| Perdue Petroglyphs (15LE111) | Fixer | 1989 |
| Pine Crest Shelter (15LE70) | Zachariah | 1996 |
| St. Therese Church | Beattyville | 2012 |
| St. Thomas Episcopal Church | Beattyville | 1976 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBLee was formed in 1870 (1870-03-01) from Breathitt, Estill, Owsley, Wolfe.
LEE created from BREATHITT, ESTILL, OWSLEY, and WOLFE.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusLee County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,055 | 4,254 | 7,988 | 11,918 | 10,860 | 8,739 | 7,420 | 7,754 | 7,916 | 7,395 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS30 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 30 of 30 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Angel Cemetery |
| Beatty Place Cemetery |
| Brandenburg Cemetery |
| Brandenburg Cemetery |
| Cable Cemetery |
| Crouch Cemetery |
| Eager Church Cemetery |
| Gray Cemetery |
| Hamilton Cemetery |
| Hopewell Church Cemetery |
| Horn Cemetery |
| Horn Cemetery |
| Kearney Cemetery |
| Kell Cemetery |
| Mayse Cemetery |
| McKinney Cemetery |
| Moress Cemetery |
| Plowman Cemetery |
| Quillan Cemetery |
| Riverview Cemetery |
| Smith Cemetery |
| Smith Cemetery |
| Smith Cemetery |
| Smyth Cemetery |
| Sparks Cemetery |
| Spencer Cemetery |
| Stone Coal Cemetery |
| Thacker Cemetery |
| Thacker Cemetery |
| Watson Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Lee County, Kentucky
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