Letcher County, Kentucky
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 5 listed properties in the county, first listed in 2001. Most listings are in or near Jenkins, Blackley, Blackey.
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 Letcher titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP2 of 5 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
5 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Back, David, Log House and Farm | Blackley | 2019 |
| Caudill, C.B., Store | Blackey | 2001 |
| Dunham High School | Jenkins | 2025 |
| Jenkins School | Jenkins | 2011 |
| Whitesburg Historic District | Whitesburg | 2006 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBLetcher was formed in 1842 (1842-04-01) from Harlan, Perry.
LETCHER created from HARLAN and PERRY.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusLetcher County population from 1850 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1850 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,512 | 3,904 | 6,601 | 9,172 | 24,467 | 40,592 | 39,522 | 30,102 | 30,687 | 25,277 | 21,548 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS27 cemeteries and 21 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 27 of 27 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Blair Cemetery |
| Boggs Cemetery |
| Collins Cemetery |
| Collins Cemetery |
| Combs Cemetery |
| Cook Cemetery |
| Cornetts Cemetery |
| Dickson Cemetery |
| Dixon Cemetery |
| Gibson Cemetery |
| Horse Mill Point Cemetery |
| Isom Cemetery |
| Ison Cemetery |
| James D Caudill Cemetery |
| Lewis Cemetery |
| Maggard Cemetery |
| McRoberts Cemetery |
| Melvin Adams Cemetery |
| Morgan Cemetery |
| Parsons Cemetery |
| Potter Cemetery |
| Riddle Cemetery |
| Roberts Branch Cemetery |
| Sam Bentley Cemetery |
| Smith Cemetery |
| Sturgill Cemetery |
| Vanover Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 21 of 21
| Name |
|---|
| Apple Rock |
| Big Cowan |
| Bottom Fork |
| Camp Branch |
| Crafts Colly |
| Craftsville |
| Head of Linefork |
| Hubert |
| Indian Bottom |
| Kingdom Come |
| Lick Fork |
| Line Fork |
| Little Colly |
| Lower Cumberland |
| Marshal Branch |
| Milton |
| Red Star |
| Smoot Creek |
| Turkey Creek |
| Upper Cumberland |
| West Whitesburg |
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 Letcher County, Kentucky
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