Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Johnson County, Kentucky
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1843. As of 2000, the population was 23,445. Its county seat is Paintsville...
, USA. Its claim to fame is being the birthplace of country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
legend Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, who paid tribute to the community in the song Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter (song)
"Coal Miner's Daughter" is an autobiographical 1969 country music song written, released and made famous by Loretta Lynn. Released in 1970, the song became Lynn's signature song, one of the genre's most widely-known songs, and provided the basis for both her autobiography and a movie on her...
, which begins with the lyrics
"Well, I was born a coal miner's daughter
In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler"
Later in the song, she also mentions Van Lear, the larger community in which Butcher Hollow is located:
"My daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mines.
All day long in the fields a-hoein corn"
as well as on a recent album, Van Lear Rose
Van Lear Rose
-Personnel:*Loretta Lynn - vocals, guitar*Dave Feeny - pedal guitar, steel guitar, dobro, percussion, background vocals*Patrick Keeler - drums, percussion, background vocals*Jack Lawrence - bass, percussion, background vocals...
.
Butcher Hollow is a part of the community of Van Lear
Van Lear, Kentucky
According to the census of 2000, there were 2,106 people, 807 households, and 625 families in the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for Van Lear's ZIP code .The racial makeup of the community was 99.7% White, 0.0% African American, and 0.3% Asian....
, which was constructed by the Consolidation Coal Company in the early part of the 20th century. Van Lear was named for Van Lear Black, one of company's directors. Although most of Butcher Hollow lies outside of the old Van Lear city limits, the mailing address of those who have lived there has been Van Lear since the establishment of the Van Lear post office in 1909. Butcher Hollow is not an independent town or village in its own right.
Tours
Thousands of tourists visit the town of Van Lear each year to see the childhood home of Loretta Lynn and her siblings. Herman Webb, one of Lynn's brothers, gives tours of the house for a fee of five dollars.See also
- Coal Miners' MuseumCoal Miners' Museum (Van Lear)The Coal Miners' Museum is a museum in Van Lear, Kentucky dedicated to the area's coal mining history . The museum is administered by the Van Lear Historical Society.-History:...
- Mine No. 5 StoreMine No. 5 StoreThe Mine No. 5 Store is a historic department store located in Van Lear, Kentucky, United States. The two story, wood frame building was constructed in 1918 by Consolidated Coal Company...
- Van Lear, KentuckyVan Lear, KentuckyAccording to the census of 2000, there were 2,106 people, 807 households, and 625 families in the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for Van Lear's ZIP code .The racial makeup of the community was 99.7% White, 0.0% African American, and 0.3% Asian....