The county was created in 1799 and Preston's Station was selected as the county seat in 1800 and…read morethe county seat name was changed to Prestonsburg in 1829. The sixth and present courthouse was completed in 1998. The courthouse is a three-story red/pink brick and concrete structure. While it was modeled after the 1888 courthouse (which is still standing on South Central Avenue), the design is modernized. The structure has a rectangular shape and a flat roof line with a black cornice. A tall square tower with a hipped roof and a large arched glass entryway may be found in the northwest corner. There are arched windows. The Justice Center now houses the County Circuit and District Courts of the 31st Judicial District. It was closed on the weekend and there is not much to see. Sticking my nose up against the entrance window was unrevealing. [Review 623 of 2025 - 315 in Kentucky - 24184 overall]

The marker in front of the county courthouse points out the history of how the county got its name…read more It has the same text on both sides and reads, "For Col. John Floyd. Born Amherst County, Va., 1750. Led party to survey land now Kentucky, 1774. With George Rogers Clark's Indian expeditions. Back in Va., joined Colonial navy. Captured, taken to England. Escaped. Built Floyd's Station, 1779 or 80, near-by what is now Louisville. Named Lieut. of Jefferson Co., part of Va., 1781. Killed in Indian ambush, 1783." It is marker number 817 and it was erected in 1968 by the by Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Department of Highways. Floyd County was created in 1800 from parts of Fleming, Montgomery, and Mason counties as settlement pushed up the Big Sandy Valley and the state looked to organize its eastern frontier. Prestonsburg became the county seat almost immediately, growing around the river trade and the courthouse that anchored the young community. Through the nineteenth century the county's history followed the familiar eastern Kentucky pattern of river commerce, timber, and coal, all layered onto the older frontier networks that the Floyd family helped establish. [Review 71 of 2026 - 333 in Kentucky - 25261 overall]

The Law Enforcement Memorial in Pikeville, Kentucky is a solemn tribute to officers who lost their…read morelives in the line of duty, located at the historic Pike County Courthouse as part of the Veterans Hall of Honor and Heritage Hall exhibit. The monument is outside the courthouse bears the Officer's Prayer, serving as a public reminder of sacrifice and duty. It includes the logos of several law enforcement organizations including the Kentucky State Police, the Pike County Sheriff's Department, US Marshalls and others. It includes the names of approximately 25 officers killed in the line of duty since the early 1900s with the earliest in 1911. The memorial is named for Sheriff Roy Conway was elected to office in 1950 on a platform promising to clean up gambling, bootlegging, and corruption in Pike County. On July 28, 1950, just six months into his term, he was assassinated outside his home by two brothers whose father's drinking establishment had been raided by Conway and his deputies. The polished black stone is hard to miss in front of the courthouse. [Review 631 of 2025 - 322 in Kentucky - 24192 overall]

The Magoffin County Pioneer Village is the realized dream of Magoffin County Historical Society's…read moreCo-founder Roy "Todd" Preston. He collected log cabins from the area that were on the verge of disappearing from existence, and moved them, log, by log, and re-assembled in a vacant lot to create the village. Each cabin has a unique story and is full of many antiques. Located in the courtyard are monuments honoring many of Magoffin County's founding families. Mr. Preston is no longer here to guide us through his village, but he has left a lasting legacy for Magoffin County that the community should be very proud of and thankful for.

This obelisk along US-23 / US-460 points out a Civil War battle that took place here. As a border…read morestate. quite a few groups of Union and Confederate soldiers passed through the area. This is one of those conflicts. The obelisk is about ten feet tall and has engravings on the front and back. There are also two caption markers but they have faded to the point of illegibility. The front of the monument reads, "Here, on Nov. 8, 1861, 300 men from Companies A & C, 5th Kentucky Infantry, C.S.A. and Companies B, C, & D, 1st Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, C.S.A., commanded by Captain Andrew J. May, fought a delaying action against four Federal regiments; the 2nd Ohio Infantry, the 21st Ohio Infantry, the 59th Ohio Infantry, the 16th Kentucky Infantry, and a section of Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, commanded by General William "Bull" Nelson." And on the reverse, "Mustered into service just two weeks earlier and armed only with shotguns and squirrel rifles, May's Confederate mountaineers were outnumbered eight to one. Nevertheless, they detained Nelson's progress long enough to allow Colonel John S. Williams to vacate Piketon (Pikeville) and move the main body of Confederate troops to Pound Gap. Union losses were eight killed and twenty-four wounded. Confederate losses were ten killed and fifteen wounded." [Review 628 of 2025 - 319 in Kentucky - 24189 overall]

Would be a great history moment, but some of the plaques have weathered to the point they are…read moreunreadable. Hopefully state of Kentucky will fix it? Go to the nearby middle creek park for good civil war history!

Officially the "Spirit of the American Doughboy", this serves as the war memorial for the citizens…read moreof Pikeville who fought for their country. This is a more modern one and does not mention the Civil War. Instead, it lists the names of those who served and died in more recent conflicts. This was originally just a World War I memorial, depicting an infantryman ("doughboy") advancing through barbed wire and battlefield debris, holding a rifle in his left hand and a grenade raised in his right. It was sculpted by E.M. Viquesney and is part of a series that were installed across the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. It stands in front of the Pike County Courthouse. On one side, "1917-1918. They gave their all in their country's service" followed by a list of names, trailing with "Lest We Forget" Again with "1941-1946" and "1950-1953" and "1961-1973". As they are listed in alphabetical order by last name, it's easy to see some families that lost more than one. Nine from the "Blackburn" family in the WWII list. Sad. [Review 629 of 2025 - 320 in Kentucky - 24190 overall]

We were staying in the area and someone told us about this battlefield. So we took a short drive…read moreout from Prestonsburg to see it. It is a very small area off the side of the road. There are interpretative signs that give the details of the battle. The Battle of Middle Creek was an engagement fought January 10, 1862, in Eastern Kentucky during the American Civil War. The battle, along with the Battle of Mill Springs, positioned the Union armies to invade Middle Tennessee. There are also small paths that you can take and walk out onto the field.

Well preserved piece of ground but beware the total battlefield is not part of this area. My own gr…read moregr gr grandfather and three of his sons, including my gr gr grandfather fought here with the 5th Kentucky CSA.

This place is definitely worth checking out! Had no clue this place existed until we passed by it…read morewhile visiting Williamson. The history of the Coal House is very unique! There is a nice little gift shop inside as well.