Beattyville, Kentucky

I was on a mission. After watching the video below, I asked, Bucky, my most wonderful husband and RV driver. if we could go to Beattyville, KY. I needed to see Beattyville with my own eyes. Today, 1,100 miles from our home in Ripton, VT, we saw Beattyville first hand. Beattyville is not an easy place to reach. Watch this short clip before I describe our experience.



We climbed hills, dropped into valleys and negotiated hairpin turns not meant for an RV and trailer. Bucky never whimpered while fulfilling my wish to see Beattyville. Each mountain settlement that we drove through provided a collage of images and contradictions. I struggled with defining poverty and wealth when seeing mobile homes existing comfortably beside grand homes. I fought with my own stereotypical belief that a person's home in some way defined them. I wanted to be confronted with an undeniable view of poverty, not to be left wondering. But what I saw from my passenger window left me confused.

every KY home has a porch and chairs for sitting

new modern homes existing near mobile homes

signs of the past

 Regardless of what road we traveled or what town we were in there was one constant, the church. In this rugged landscape, it appeared even the hardiest of souls might need the support of a higher being. Some churches were more elaborate than others. We saw no church cemeteries, but instead, family cemeteries, many far removed from the home sites. It was very personal and intimate and at times I felt like an intruder into a culture I had very little knowledge of.

Bucky and I were stunned when after hours of traveling through the hills in search of Beattyville, we passed the same home we had seen earlier. It was so distinctive there was no mistaking it. We had driven in a circle, our path dictated by the landscape.

It's beauty demanded two viewings!

As if pulled by the current of the swollen Kentucky River, we had arrived,

I looked for the empty store windows and unpainted buildings that would be my proof,  but what I saw were busy shops and a Main Street that my own hometown could emulate.

It's said that seeing is believing. My perception of Beattyville was initially formed by the above video. Having now seen Beattyville, I'm unsure. Is poverty hidden?  Did the media sway me? I just don't know. What I do know is, if I posted only photos of dilapidated houses and junk filled yards you would form a very different impression of KY than the one I intended.  My hope is to provide an unbiased account of what we've seen during out travels.

Next, Harlan County KY.....