Floyd County, Kentucky: History
On December 13, 1799, the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation to form Floyd County as the 40th county of Kentucky. The county was made from parts of Fleming, Montgomery, and Mason County, Kentucky. The legislation became effective on June 1, 1800. The county was named for James John Floyd, a pioneer surveyor who helped lay out the city of Louisville. The county seat was Preston's Station, later renamed Prestonsburg. The first court house burned down on April 8, 1808, destroying all the early records, so the earliest records of government activity do not date prior to 1808. Prestonsburg was used as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War and two battles took place nearby, the Battle of Ivy Mountain on November 8, 1861, and the Battle of Middle Creek on January 10, 1862. Both were Union victories.
Since the early 1900s, coal mining has had a large presence in Floyd County. In 1900, the first commercial coal mine in eastern Kentucky was opened in the Floyd County community of Betsy Layne. Soon, coal would become the dominant industry in Floyd County. With the arrival of coal, coal towns began popping up all over the county. These coal towns included Wheelwright, Bypro, Emma, Garrett, Wayland, and many more. By 1950, the county had a population of over 50,000 people. With the decline of coal in eastern Kentucky, people began migrating away from the area in large numbers, in what's known as the Hillbilly Highway. As of 2016, the county had 23 coal mines in operation, and produced roughly around 640,000 tons of coal.
On February 28, 1958, the county was the site of one of the deadliest bus accidents in U.S. history, leaving 27 people dead.
On June 30, 2022, a mass shooting targeting police officers occurred in Allen, a city in Floyd County. Three police officers and a police dog were killed, and four other people were injured. The alleged shooter, 49-year-old Lance Storz, was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder of a police officer before committing suicide in the county jail.