Across the mountains of Pike County, Kentucky, not all history is locked behind museum glass. It also lives in hollers, cemeteries, cabins, and quiet hillsides where the story of the Hatfield–McCoy feud unfolded more than a century ago.
Sites such as the Hog Trail Cabin, the McCoy Homeplace and Well, the Hatfield family cemeteries, and Dils Cemetery are more than stops along a driving tour. They are physical links to a story that shaped Appalachia and continues to draw visitors from around the world. With that history comes responsibility, and preserving these places is an ongoing commitment.
These sites do not maintain themselves. Weather, time, and steady visitation take their toll year after year. Keeping them accessible, respectful, and presentable requires regular care, from grounds maintenance to basic preservation efforts. Pikeville-Pike County Tourism CVB, along with volunteers from the community, has quietly shouldered this responsibility for decades, ensuring that visitors and descendants alike can experience these places with dignity and respect.
Why This Matters
Historic sites like these are irreplaceable. Once neglected, they are difficult, if not impossible, to fully restore. When they are cared for, they become powerful classrooms, places of reflection, and shared heritage that connects generations.
For descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys, these locations represent family, memory, and identity. For visitors, they offer something increasingly rare: an authentic connection to American history rooted in a real place. Preserving them ensures that the feud story remains more than a legend, it remains something people can walk, see, and understand.
A Call to Those Who Feel the Connection
If you’ve ever walked these grounds, traced a family name on a headstone, or felt the weight of history standing in these places, you already understand why preservation matters.
Now is an opportunity to be part of that stewardship.
Pikeville-Pike County Tourism is inviting those who value these historic sites, especially descendants and history supporters, to help ensure they remain cared for and accessible for future generations.
How You Can Help
There are several meaningful ways to get involved:
Make an Online Donation
Secure donations can be made online and go directly toward the upkeep and preservation of Hatfield–McCoy feud sites. Every contribution, regardless of size, makes a tangible difference.
Volunteer Your Time
Hands-on help is just as valuable as financial support. If you would like to volunteer at one of the historic sites, contact Pikeville-Pike County Tourism at (606) 432-5063 to arrange a time.
Mail a Donation
Checks of any amount may be mailed to:
Pikeville-Pike County Tourism CVB
P.O. Box 1497
Pikeville, KY 41501
Giving Back to the Places That Gave Us a Story
Caring for these sites is about more than maintenance. It is about honoring ancestors, preserving heritage, and ensuring that the story of the Hatfields and McCoys continues to be told where it actually happened.
These places belong to history, but their future depends on the people who still care about them today.
If this story matters to you, now is the time to help protect it.
A Message from the Descendants
Hatfield-McCoy cemetery cleanups are an incredible way to reconnect with history. Our cemeteries are more than family memorials. They are also historic heritage sites. By participating in these cemetery cleanups, we can honor our ancestors, preserve our history and give back to the local community in a way that is personal, tangible and unique. It’s an experience that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.
The cemetery cleanups are just the beginning of what we hope the Hatfields and McCoys can do for the local community. The pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone. Last year was the first time since 2000 that the Hatfields and McCoys didn’t get together for our annual reunion. I know the families are looking forward to coming back to Pikeville in September and finding ways to give back to the community. We’ve missed being back home in Pike County. We’re ready to get things started.
Ron McCoy, Randolph McCoy’s direct descendant
I know many would find it hard to believe that a New York City born and bred guy like myself would be a direct descendant of Ole Randall McCoy, let alone be someone who considers Pike County to be one of the places in the world where I truly feel at home. Not only has this been because of my connection to the area where my Dad was born and our rich family heritage, but also because of the people who still live, work, and die there.
I have been blessed to visit the area many times and met some of the finest people I’ve ever met, even after a 26 year military career that took me all around the globe. They are as proud of the history as I am to the connection with the Hatfields and McCoys. They have taken it upon themselves to organize cleanups of the heritage sites so that people from all around the world can come and see them in a way that showcases that pride.
If you are a Hatfield or a McCoy in the local area, or one who has wished to make the pilgrimage as I have, this is a unique opportunity to help out. For one who worked side by side with both families in other endeavors, there was a feeling with each of those encounters that cannot be matched.
Like everyone else, much has been put on the back burner due to the Covid situation over the past year. I know I will return to Pike County and also Mingo and Logan County again someday, but in the meantime I hope those of you who are able, take advantage of what will surely be a gratifying event.
Eddie McCoy, Randolph McCoy’s direct descendant
Our purpose is to get up in the morning and do what we do best, and that’s to work on restoring these legendary sites. It’s time to put some work in, and when we are finished, hopefully you will see a difference. We have pride in our community; our backyard. Being able to work and see results is rewarding, and we encourage every descendant, and those who love the history to get engaged with these efforts. Our process everyday is the “fuel that of the feud” that drives what we do as a team effort, to keep the memory of the feud alive. Remember, as leaders, our teams follow our lead – from the front. Help us in taking pride in your backyard. I look forward to the cleanup up each year.
Bob Scott, Hatfield descendant
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