Ouch. This is the Breathitt County Courthouse in Jackson. I’ve never quite really understood Jackson, starting with the fact that the sewage treatment plant stands right along the major road through town. The smell is as bad as you imagine. And this picture above was the best I could do of the Breathitt County Courthouse. Again, the newer Judicial Center next door, pictured below, was much more attractive.
I knew nothing about Jackson’s history, but according to the historical markers, this was the epicenter of the “feudin’ and fightin'” history of Eastern Kentucky. The courthouse that stood here from 1899 to 1963 was a landmark of this time period. From 1870 to 1920, stemming from family disagreements and political differences, more than 100 Breathitt County officials were killed. Forty men were killed in 11 months between 1901 and 1902.