Lawrence County, the sixty-ninth county formed in Kentucky, dates from 1821.  Its territory, composed of 272,000 acres, was taken from Greenup and Floyd Counties.  It lies in the extreme eastern part of the state along the Kentucky-West Virginia boundary.
     Charles Vancouver of London, England was issued a patent for a 2,000 acre tract of land which contained the present site of Louisa, the county seat, by the British government in 1772.  The survey of this grant was made by George Washington during the late 1760s. 
     Vancouver came to the newly formed United States and settled at the Forks of the Big Sandy in 1789.  He erected a fort, built a few cabins and
did some farming.  However, he abandoned the area because Indians of several tribes used this area as their hunting grounds -- until finally
forced out by settlers.
     Frederic Moore migrated west to Lawrence County in 1815 and established a trading center at Louisa.  Soon after that, the framework 
for a community began to take shape.
     Lawrence County was named for James Lawrence, a distinguished American naval officer of the Tripolitan War.
     Louisa was established in 1822.  It was named for the Louisa (Levisa) 
Fork of the Big Sandy River which had been named by Dr. Thomas Walker 
in honor of the wife of the Duke of Cumberland.
     Paul Patton, 59th governor of Kentucky, was born and raised in Fallsburg, in Lawrence County.
     Former Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson was born in Louisa.  He was Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court from 1946 until his death in 1953.
     Ricky Skaggs, popular country music entertainer, is a native of Cordell, 
in Lawrence County.  Ricky's career rises from traditional Bluegrass and Country roots and has reached around the globe.  Ricky is a member of the Grand Ole' Opry and still has family and friends in the area.
     Lawrence County's population in 1850 was 6,281.  Gradually increasing, 
it reached 20,067 in 1910.  In the years since, the population steadily decreased with the exception of 1940 when it was 17,275.  The population
started to grow again in the 1970s and 1980s, and is now about 14,500.
     Yatesville Lake, opened in 1992, has a surface impoundment of 2,242 acres, with 40 miles of shoreline. The lake starts 21 miles upstream from Yatesville Dam and runs along the main stem of Blaine Creek. The 
Yatesville Lake, now offers you camping facilities at the campgrounds
along with a Marina, that can handle up to 140 boats.  And there is a championship golf course now under construction next to the lake.  
Tourism from the lake helps boost the local economy.
     Septemberfest, a festival held annually, draws many natives back to 
enjoy good food, music, crafts and old friends.

Much of this information was taken from THE 1999 LAWRENCE
COUNTY ALMANAC.