Movement Grows to Name Kentucky State Park After Loretta Lynn

The fans of Loretta Lynn are a passionate bunch, and they’re banding together to get a state park in Kentucky named after the Coal Miner’s Daughter, located in the region that inspired much of her music.
The 242-acre Paintsville Lake State Park was opened in 1984 on Paintsville Lake, which was created in 1979 by the US Corps of Engineers. The 1,100-acre lake and adjacent park were named after Paints Creek that feeds the lake, and the nearby town of Paintsville. This is where the Highway 23 Museum is located. Hwy 23 is also known as the Country Music Highway due to the many country performers originating from the region, including Loretta and her sister Crystal Gayle.
A petition for the name change was originally launched in November of 2022 shortly after Loretta Lynn passed away on October 4th, 2022. The petition quickly accrued around 19,000 signatures, and State Senator Robin Webb (D-18th District) drafted a bill to rename the park. Senator Webb is a cousin of Loretta (Lynn’s maiden name was ‘Webb’).
Nothing came from the initial effort though, and as these things go, people moved on. But in recent days a renewed push has been underway to revitalize the idea with the signatures on the petition surpassing the initial goal of 25,000 and counting. The petition reads in part,
“State and national parks not only preserve the landscape and wildlife that inhabits the land; they also preserve our history and culture. They are named to honor and preserve the legacy of individuals who have achieved the highest level of excellence in their field, have impacted our culture, and our nation … We are asking Governor Andy Beshear and the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s, General Assembly to consider renaming Paintsville Lake State Park, located at 1551 Ky 2275, Staffordsville, Ky 41256 to Loretta Lynn State Park; to honor and preserve Loretta Lynn’s legacy.”
Proponents of the proposal believe the name change will be good for tourism in the area, while not doing any injury to the Paintsville name.
Loretta Lynn is originally from Van Lear, Kentucky and Butcher Hollow, which is about 10 miles as the crow flies from Paintsville State Park. The National Trust For Historic Preservation officially registered Loretta Lynn’s childhood home on Butcher Holler Road in Van Lear in 2007, and in 2022 the Kentucky Historical Society placed a Historical Marker at Loretta Lynn’s homeplace. Both Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton also spent time in the Paintsville area while growing up.
January 7, 2024 @ 10:07 am
Signed!
As someone who grew up near Route 23, I did want to comment on the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum you mentioned. It is a great place and I highly recommend visiting it if you’re in the area. But my one criticism is that it’s a little too Kentucky-centric. Route 23 passes through eight states and, notably, Dwight Yoakam’s song about it is about the family leaving Kentucky for Ohio. Earl Thomas Conley (who has a park named after him), Roy Rogers, and bluegrass singer Dave Evans were raised near Route 23 in Scioto County right across the Ohio River, Pure Prairie League are from one county north in Pike County and the next county north along the route is Ross, which houses the prison where Johnny Paycheck served time and is near his birthplace and hometown. Route 23 doesn’t pass through Lawrence County where Bobby Bare is from, but it also doesn’t really go through Elliott or Carter counties in Kentucky, where Keith Whitley and Tom T. Hall were from, respectively.
Again, they do what they do well and probably have limited resources to do it with, but I would like to see them come to embrace the totality of the route.
January 7, 2024 @ 10:19 am
I can support this change.
They are not taking the name away from a brave settler or frontiersman.
January 7, 2024 @ 10:51 am
A quick internet search indicates that the Paintsville (originally Paint Lick) name originates from Native American paintings found on debarked trees when the first settlers arrived.
January 7, 2024 @ 12:20 pm
This would be a slap in the face of my great, great uncle Jeremiah Paint.
January 7, 2024 @ 4:06 pm
I draft the petition! Your great, great great uncle had nothing to do with a lake created in the mid 80’s. A slap in the face would me drafting a petition to change Paintsville to Lynnville.
January 8, 2024 @ 11:29 am
Doesn’t he have enough named after him after inventing paint?!
January 7, 2024 @ 12:28 pm
Meanwhile, residents of the village of Twin Mountain, New Hampshire, are circulating a petition to change its name to “Dolly Parton.”
January 7, 2024 @ 3:30 pm
I almost wonder if the Lynn estate would be ambivalent about this, as it could be seen as confusing or distracting, since there is already the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee.
I bought this awesome Loretta tshirt there years ago and while wearing it in class one day my professor stopped class full stop to point out that I was wearing a Loretta Lynn tshirt. The interuption went on for several minutes.
Later that night I met up with a friend and had in the meantime changed part of my outfit.
“Oh, you changed your pants…”
Anyways, Kentucky for me is a mystical land to me…maybe if they named it Blue Kentucky Girl park, that would be best.
January 7, 2024 @ 4:02 pm
They Lynn’s have publicly supported the change.
January 7, 2024 @ 4:07 pm
There’s no doubt Ky needs to make this change for a lasting legacy for a lady who spent over 60 yrs traveling around the country singing & on many national TV shows about Butcher Holler. Her Coal Miners Daughter’s book was on the New York Times Bestseller list which resulted in it becoming the subject of an Oscar winning movie. How many communities have this to brag about!!! All states honor their famous native citizens. This needs to be done for many reasons: to create a lasting legacy for a country music pioneer & to boost tourism in the area & give tourists that travel there to see the old home place somewhere else to visit & the chance to spend more money. Over 25,000 citizens support this. It needs to happen !!!
January 7, 2024 @ 4:22 pm
Vape dudes will get winded walking up The Pill
January 8, 2024 @ 8:37 am
Leave the name alone. Loretta and others left Kentucky and unlike Dolly Parton who put her people to work. Loretta Lynn, Ricky Scaggs and others basically who doesn’t ca about the people and wants to forget where they are from. Only one singer from this region who really is cares about his people is Chris Stapleton.when Southeast Kentucky was flooded. He came in and shoveled mud and muck from houses. He didn’t do it for publicity sake but he wanted to help his people. He donated money to the region and not only that he gave the Paintsville High School Football team where he played in High School and for the Special Olympics in Johnson county.
January 8, 2024 @ 1:13 pm
Loretta left the area & moved to Washington State & started her family & soon after that a career. She’s probably done more for your area before u were born than many have.
Your area is the only section of the country that’s always complained & commented of what can someone do for me. It wouldn’t matter what LL did you people would be jealous. What have u done for your community ? For your info. LL was not obligated to help anyone. What she did was from her heart & not for PR. She spent countless hrs & days & her own time planning & organizing the benefit for the 38 miners killed in your area. Besides that she’s taken the job of coal mining across the country & brought attention to the dangers of the job. Most people would appreciate a famous person from their area that’s had the success she’s had with hit songs, books, a movie that highlighted your area. Change the name to Loretta Lynn State Park. She deserves it more than anyone I know. Besides asking what someone can do for you see what u might could do for others!!!
Loretta Lynn State Park is what it should be!!!!!
I’ll support it from the mountains & valleys as long as am alive. People all over the country love & admire Loretta Lynn !!!!!
January 8, 2024 @ 1:34 pm
Vanessa, When you make comments like you have you’re only embarrassing yourself & your area. Educate yourself on history when you’ve shown you have no clue.
https://amp.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article266803421.html
January 8, 2024 @ 1:47 pm
Vanessa,
Good for Chris !!! He’s a fine human like many other country musicians: Loretta, Crystal, Ricky, Patty, Billy Ray, The Judds, Tom T, Dwight Yokam & more. Each has their own way of helping but I think you should educate yourself perhaps. It’s hard to put people to work when they’re sitting around waiting on a hand out.
https://amp.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article266803421.html
January 8, 2024 @ 2:08 pm
Well, did you really need the physical help of an 87 yr old woman? I know personally that Loretta donated to the flood relief in eastern Ky! I also know that Loretta has drove tourists to Est Kentucky for the last 53 yrs! Put locals to work when she insisted her movie be shot on location. Supported creating a “Dollywood” there and the State wouldn’t approve it. She organized a benefit for education for 38 miners families when the Hyden mine blew up, so their children didn’t have to be miners. They paid her back by suing her because they wanted the right then!! Did a benefit for the blind in est. Ky… was there to cut the ribbon for new hospital in your area… played year in and year out at apple festival. Every time Ky called Loretta was there to represent Ky… carried the Olympic torch when they needed it…. Was grand marshal for the Derby when they needed it. So I will not leave it alone….
January 8, 2024 @ 2:15 pm
So when u leave the area no one is suppose to remember you or honor you anymore. Lol. That’s the mindset of some people. Perhaps you should educate yourself on the subject here.
Loretta is a country music legend known all over the world, had an Oscar winning movie made of her life. Honor her in SS many ways as you can if you’re smart & see more $$$ for your area. Fans already make the trip to see the Butcher Holler home & have for yrs from all over the country. She needs a park with an area devoted to her to give the fans more to see & longer to stay. It only makes common sense Vanessa.
January 8, 2024 @ 3:10 pm
Thank you Ken for pointing out what should be obvious to anyone!
January 8, 2024 @ 5:19 pm
“On the way we talked about the 40 miners
About the 39 who died and one who lived to tell the tale…
We talked about the pretty lady from the Grand Ole Opry
And we talked about the money she was raising for the kids.”
Not my words or Loretta’s. Those are the words of Tom T. Hall, another performer from our region who apparently didn’t give a shit about the people here (and the namesake of a street and a park in Olive Hill). Loretta is the lady he was talking about though and the incident that prompted it was the Hurricane Creek mine disaster on New Year’s Eve 1970 in Leslie County.
If Chris Stapleton gave money to the Paintsville football team, name the field after him. Loretta earned this and I think Stapleton would tell you the same thing.
January 8, 2024 @ 6:40 pm
Great comment & I agree Adam.
Each country star from that area is a good person; they each have different ways of making the world a better place. Loretta deserves to have a lasting legacy named after her in her hometown !! Give Chris the football field !
The end , no argument!!! She’s a legend known & loved all over the world!!! Who else has had a movie made of their life,’won every major award & toured all over the country singing about Ky & Butcher Holler. She put it on the map!!! They should be proud !!!!!
January 12, 2024 @ 12:23 pm
And did you expect 90 year old Loretta Lynn to get up from her deathbed and come to shovel mud?
January 8, 2024 @ 1:57 pm
https://amp.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article266803421.html
Over 25,000 people disagree with you.
https://www.change.org/p/rename-paintsville-state-park-in-honor-of-loretta-lynn?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=2225ab20-44a7-11e6-99ed-f3298363d114
Chris is a fine human just like all the other country musicians from your area. Each has their own way of making the world a better place. Chris idolized Loretta & considered her the legend she is.
January 10, 2024 @ 12:18 am
In regards to Vanessa – every other word out of Loretta’s mouth, her entire career, was either Kentucky, Butcher Holler, or Paintsville. Or coal miner. She publicized her roots and where she came from all the time. She made so many small places, like Paintsville, famous. She drove tourism there. I myself drove all the way to both Butcher Holler and Paintsville just to see the history, and bought t shirts! She immortalized her roots in a major motion picture. Every single country music fan in the 80s knew these cities were in the beautiful state of Kentucky. Thanks to Loretta. She cared deeply about where she was from.
January 11, 2024 @ 5:56 pm
Can we at least agree that Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park in TN should be renamed after Dolly Parton?
January 12, 2024 @ 4:43 pm
Loretta Lynn is the Queen of Country Music always will be ,I have seen Loretta in concert many times, she was a class act….she never forgot where she came from. She always talked how she grew up and where she was born. And when they name the State Park after her I will visit the park just like all her fans.
January 12, 2024 @ 6:03 pm
This Jerry billings