About

Breathitt County, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern Coal Field region, was created on April 1, 1839 by an act of the Legislature and named in honor of Gov. John Breathitt (1832-34). The eighty-ninth county in order of creation, Breathitt County covers an area of 494 square miles and is bordered by Lee, Wolfe, Magoffin, Knott, Perry, and Owsley Counties.