Knott County Courthouse – Hindman, Ky.

I’ve noted before that my wife is from Eastern Kentucky, and one thing that I’ve come to understand about this area of the state is how unbelievably difficult it can be to get around. My wife tells me about snow and ice keeping kids out of school for a month, and I never really understood how that could be possible until I made this trip to Hindman. There is no legitimate reason why anyone would ever stumble upon Hindman. You really have to intend to end up there. Roads meander and wind, and I couldn’t believe that I was only one county over from where I’ve previously been. Interestingly, Knott County is the only county in Kentucky that doesn’t either border or contain a portion of a river. This courthouse, which is actually the old courthouse now, was built by the WPA in 1935-36. Apparently a really interesting courthouse with a unique arched front preceded it but burned down.

This is the new Knott County judicial center, which sits directly across the street from the old courthouse. It looks completely out of place in the downtown area. It dwarfs everything else in Hindman.