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History · Lynch

Lynch dates to 1917, and 80% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 298 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1970.

1917founded
1on the National Register
80%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lynch’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lynch began, and where its name came from

When was Lynch founded?

1917

Lynch dates its founding to 1917 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 1,517 in 19702020 census: 658109 years

How did Lynch get its name?

Lynch was named for then-head of the company, Thomas Lynch.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1922. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lynch’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Lynch Historic District takes in 298 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Lynch’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19224 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1976. Watch Lynch change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 298 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
298
each building in a district counts
first listed
2003
Lynch Historic District
Lynch Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Gothic Revival1
Stick1
Italian Renaissance1
Lynch Historic DistrictColonial Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Lynch came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lynch.

Read it all →

Lynch was plotted in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company (a subsidiary of U.S. Steel) as a company town to house workers at the company's nearby coal mines. It was named for then-head of the company, Thomas Lynch.

By the 1940s, Lynch had a population of 10,000 and had such amenities as a hospital and movie theater. The population declined dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s as mining techniques shifted to less labor-intensive methods.

In 1996, the rails to Lynch and nearby Benham were officially abandoned.

In 2012, PBS of Eastern Tennessee created a documentary titled The Eastern Kentucky Social Club dealing with the history of the black community and immigrant community in Lynch.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Lynch on the map, 1922 to 1976

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lynch. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lynch on the 1922 USGS mapLynch on the 1935 USGS mapLynch on the 1954 USGS mapLynch on the 1976 USGS map1922Big Stone Gap sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lynch.

Timeline

Lynch, 1880 to 1946

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky (KY) - Harlan County - Lynch-Benham - ED…
  3. 20th century
  4. 1917
    FoundingLynch is established
  5. 1921Born hereJuanita M. Kreps is born here
  6. 1922Post officeThe Lynch post office opens
  7. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1927Born hereLeland Byrd is born here
  9. 1929Born hereLouise Slaughter is born here
  10. 1946In the archiveCompany owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S. # 30 & 31 Mines, Lynch, Harlan Cou…
By decade

Lynch, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky (KY) - Harlan County - Lynch-Benham - ED 48-50 to 5718801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky (KY)…
1890s–1930snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1940s5 items
Company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S. # 30 & 31 Mines, Lynch, Harlan County, Kentucky1946Company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S…Country club open to all employees of the company. Dances are held here for miners' children every Saturday night.... -…1946Country club open to all employees of the company. Da…Delivery room in company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S. #30 & 31 Mines, Lynch, Harlan County, Kentucky1946Delivery room in company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & …Detail of instrument room in company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S #30 & 31 Mines, Lynch, Harlan County…1946Detail of instrument room in company owned hospital. …Drug dispensary at clinic in company owned hospital. U.S. Coal & Coke Company, U.S. #30 & 31 Mines, Lynch, Harlan Count…1946Drug dispensary at clinic in company owned hospital. …
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky (KY) - Harlan County - Lynch-Benham - ED 48-50 to 57
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky (KY) - Harlan County - Lynch-Benham - ED 48-50 to 57, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lynch’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lynch, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800198020002020Peak: 1,614

Between 658 and 1,614 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lynch’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Lynch

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Juanita M. KrepsUnited States Secretary of Commerce · b. 1921
Louise SlaughterAmerican politician · b. 1929
L
Leland ByrdBasketball player · b. 1927
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Lynch’s post office has been open since 1922.

Gone or out of use
Lynch BathhousebuildingLynch Colored Public High SchoolschoolLynch High SchoolschoolLynch Tipple MineminePortal 30minePortal 31mine

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Lynch’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Benham1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lynch’s history

What year was Lynch founded?

In 1917, according to Wikidata. Lynch’s post office opened in 1922, and the census of 1970 counted 1,517 people here.

What is on the National Register in Lynch?

One place: the Lynch Historic District (listed 2003).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.