Butcher Hollow, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
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Childhood home of Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle
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 Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Johnson |
| Elevation | 709 ft (216 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code |
41265
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| Area code(s) | 606 |
| GNIS feature ID | 488497 |
Butcher Hollow (also known as Butcher Holler) is a small community in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States. It is famous for its history of coal-mining and as the home of a famous country music star.
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History of Butcher Hollow
Butcher Hollow is a special place in country music history. It is the birthplace of the legendary country singer Loretta Lynn. She sang about her home in her famous song, "Coal Miner's Daughter".
Loretta Lynn's Hometown
The song "Coal Miner's Daughter" starts with these lines:
Well, I was born'd a coal miner's daughter.
In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler.
This shows how important Butcher Hollow was to her story. Later in the song, Loretta Lynn also mentions Van Lear. Van Lear is a larger community very close to Butcher Hollow. She sang:
My daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mines.
All day long in the fields a-hoein corn
This tells us about the hard work her family did.
How Butcher Hollow Got Its Name
Butcher Hollow got its name from a nearby valley. This valley was named after the local Butcher family who lived there. Butcher Hollow is actually part of the larger community of Van Lear.
Butcher Hollow and Van Lear
Van Lear was built in the early 1900s by a company called the Consolidation Coal Company. It was named after Van Lear Black, who was one of the company's directors. Even though Butcher Hollow is a bit outside the original Van Lear town limits, people living there have used Van Lear as their mailing address since 1909. This was when the Van Lear post office first opened.
Butcher Hollow is not a separate town or village. It is more like a street or a neighborhood within the Van Lear area. So, its address would be like "Butcher Hollow, Van Lear, Johnson County, Kentucky."
Coal Mining Today
Today, Van Lear is an unincorporated community. This means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. There are no big coal mines working right in Van Lear anymore. However, some mines still operate nearby. Most people who live in the area now work in other towns. These towns include Paintsville, Prestonsburg, and Pikeville.
A few small businesses still operate in the Van Lear area. These include a bookstore called Mine Number 5 Store. There is also the Coal Miners' Museum, which has a snack shop inside. These places help keep the history of the area alive.
