History Pikeville, Kentucky

the historic york house, built 1864



aerial photo of pikeville

on march 25, 1822, state officials decided build new county seat named liberty , 1.5 miles (2.4 km) below mouth of russell fork river. public disapproval of site led new decision on december 24, 1823, establish county seat on land donated local farmer elijah adkins. settlement established town of pike after county in 1824. changed in 1829 piketon , town incorporated under name in 1848. in 1850, changed present pikeville. pikeville host part of hatfield-mccoy feud, , patriarch randall mccoy wife , daughter buried on hillside overlooking town.

a pack horse library established library services in late 1930s , 1940s.

the national civic league designated pikeville all-american city in 1965.

from 1973 1987, pikeville cut-through constructed west of downtown. massive rock cut 1 of largest civil engineering projects in western hemisphere, moving 18,000,000 cubic yards (14,000,000 m) of soil , rock. project alleviated traffic congestion in downtown , eliminated flooding rerouting levisa fork river.

the city has been center of rapid development in eastern kentucky since 1990s. pikeville college (now university of pikeville) opened kentucky college of osteopathic medicine in 1997. university planning open school of optometry, first in central appalachia, in 2016. in october 2005, 7,000 seat, multi-purpose eastern kentucky exposition center opened in downtown. pikeville medical center has established regional healthcare center. in 2013, construction began on shopping center known pikeville commons. first stores opened in shopping center in october 2014. in 2014, new 11-story clinic , 10-story parking structure completed @ cost of $150 million. hospital has become member of mayo clinic care network.