- Kentucky Appalachians
The bitter feud between the Hatfield & McCoy families is one of the most infamous and endlessly fascinating chapters of American history.
Involving land disputes, doomed love affairs, courtroom drama and violent clashes, the conflict raged for more than five decades on both sides of the Tug River, which carves out the border between Kentucky and West Virginia.
This deeply tangled story takes many twists and turns throughout Pike County in scenic Southeastern Kentucky. Stop by the Pike County Tourism Office in Pikeville to pick up free self-guided Hatfield & McCoy Driving Tour materials, which point out flashpoints in the feud and paint a vivid picture of the many colorful characters from both families.
Explore the Hatfield & McCoy Trail
Perry Cline Gravesite
Old Courthouse
Ellison "Cottontop" Mounts Historical Marker (UPIKE)
Dils Cemetery Gazebo
Old McCoy House (Chirico's)
Roseanna's Baby's Gravesite / Aunt Betty's House
Paw Paw Tree Incident
Randolph McCoy Homeplace
Hatfield Cemetery (Wash Stand)
"Preacher Anse" Hatfield Hog Trial Cabin
Asa Harmon McCoy Historic Marker
Hatfield McCoy Monument (Blackberry)
"Bad" Frank & Nancy McCoy Phillips Gravesite
Perry Cline Gravesite
Perry Cline was a prominent Pikeville citizen and Kentucky State Representative who became embroiled in the feud when his niece, Mary McCoy Daniels, suffered brutal violence at the hands of the Hatfield gang. Cline used his political influence to get Kentucky’s then-governor involved in the family war, and issued a bounty on the Hatfields that so angered West Virginia’s governor that he threatened a civil war between the states.
Ellison “Cottontop” Mounts Historical Marker (UPIKE)
On New Year’s night 1888, several Hatfields raided the cabin of Randolph McCoy, wounding his wife and killing two of his children, Alifair and Calvin. Ellison “Cotton Top” Mounts was sentenced to death, and this site marks the site of his execution by hanging.
Old Courthouse
This historic courthouse is where the Hatfield family members involved in the attack on Randolph McCoy’s house stood trial.
Dils Cemetery Gazebo
Visit this cemetery to see the gravesites of Randolph McCoy, his wife, Sally, and his daughter, Roseanna. Several Hatfields are also buried here.
Old McCoy House (Chirico’s)
After two of his children were killed and his cabin was burned to the ground in a raid by the Hatfields, Randolph McCoy spent the remainder of his days in this home, at the end of Main Street in Pikeville.
Roseanna’s Baby’s Gravesite / Aunt Betty’s House
Roseanna McCoy, daughter of Randolph, was once involved in a star-crossed love affair with Johnse Hatfield, son of Hatfield patriarch William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield. Pregnant and cast out by her father, Roseanna went to live with her Aunt Betty, where she gave birth to baby Sarah Elizabeth, who died just eight months later of measles.
Paw Paw Tree Incident
It was here that Tolbert, Pharmer and Bud McCoy were killed in retribution for murdering Ellison Hatfield, the brother of Devil Anse Hatfield.
Randolph McCoy Homeplace
This is the site of the former McCoy family home, which the Hatfield gang burned to the ground on New Year’s night 1888. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re there; National Geographic’s “Diggers” have found many Hatfield-McCoy artifacts here.
Hatfield Cemetery (Wash Stand)
Visit the gravesite of Ephraim Hatfield and other Hatfield family members, and see an authentic wash stand used by the Hatfields that dates to the early 1800s.
“Preacher Anse” Hatfield Hog Trial Cabin
Some say it was the infamous Hog Trial that caused the bad blood between the Hatfields and McCoys. It was here that the trial took place between Randolph McCoy and Floyd Hatfield.
Asa Harmon McCoy Historic Marker
Another crucial event in the feud’s beginnings was the murder of Asa Harmon McCoy, a Union soldier who died at the hands of the Logan Wildcats – a Confederate militia that comprised several members of the Hatfield family.
Hatfield McCoy Monument (Blackberry)
This monument in Blackberry, Kentucky, depicts a timeline of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. The circular granite plaza features a winding stone wall, which depicts the Tug River, with markers that commemorate flashpoints in the conflict.
“Bad” Frank & Nancy McCoy Phillips Gravesite
Frank Phillips was a lawman who was commissioned by the Kentucky government to capture Hatfield posse members. An equally fascinating figure was his wife, Nancy; the daughter of Asa Harmon McCoy, Nancy was married to Johnse Hatfield before marrying Phillips.
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