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Kentucky County
McCreary County, Kentucky
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area - from the Big South Fork NRRA (the 125,000-acre National Park Service unit protecting the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River gorge - dramatic sandstone arches, hemlock-lined canyon walls, and 190 miles of trails through one of the most rugged and spectacular landscapes in the eastern United States make it one of Kentucky's most extraordinary natural areas) to the Yahoo Falls Scenic Area (the highest waterfall in Kentucky at 113 feet, plunging over a massive sandstone overhang into a hemlock-shaded pool) and McCreary County's position as one of Kentucky's most economically distressed counties.
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Office: McCreary County Emergency Management – Whitley City, KY 42653 | (606) 376-0267 | Director Stephen McKinney
Services: McCreary County EMS/911 – (606) 376-5063 or (606) 376-9117, Director Jimmy Barnett; coordinated by multiple volunteer fire departments including South McCreary Fire & Rescue, West McCreary Volunteer Fire Department, Whitley City Fire Department, North McCreary Fire Protection District, and Eagle-Sawyer Fire Protection District.
Sheriff: McCreary County Sheriff’s Office – 36 Court Street, PO Box 627, Whitley City, KY 42653 | (606) 376-2322
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-27 serves Whitley City, the county seat, in southeastern Kentucky at the south end of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Notes: McCreary County is bordered by the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area; it shares Cumberland Falls with neighboring Whitley County and has access to Lake Cumberland to the northeast.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: McCreary County Fiscal Court – Whitley City, KY 42653
Notes: McCreary County was carved out of parts of Pulaski, Wayne, and Whitley counties in 1912, making it the newest of Kentucky’s 120 counties; it’s named for Kentucky Governor James B. McCreary. The town of Stearns was built by the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company in the early 1900s as a company town complete with its own railroad, stores, and schools.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: McCreary County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via mccrearycounty.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: McCreary County Public Library – confirm current address/hours via mccrearycounty.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: McCreary County genuinely spans the northern end of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a 125,310-acre National Park Service unit preserving the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries, home to one of the highest concentrations of natural bridges in the eastern United States. The county also shares Cumberland Falls – one of only a handful of places on Earth where visitors can reliably witness a “moonbow,” a rainbow formed by moonlight in the falls’ mist during a full moon – a genuinely rare natural phenomenon. The former mining town of Blue Heron, Kentucky, within Big South Fork, is preserved and interpreted for visitors
Notes: Cumberland Falls’ genuine, reliably occurring moonbow phenomenon is one of the rarest natural attractions covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: McCreary County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) – confirm current contact via mccrearycounty.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: McCreary County Animal Protection League – Strunk, KY | Shelter Director (606) 310-1427 | Animal Control (606) 310-8667, [email protected]
Services: McCreary County contracts with the Animal Protection League, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to house seized, stray, and abandoned animals pending adoption; the shelter also provides medical treatment and works to place animals in permanent homes or with partner rescues.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: McCreary County – confirm current contact via mccrearycounty.com.
NOTES
Cumberland Falls’ genuine, reliably occurring moonbow phenomenon and McCreary County’s position within the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area – home to one of the highest concentrations of natural bridges in the eastern U.S. – are among the rarest and most distinctive natural attractions covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of mid-August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About McCreary County
McCreary County is southeastern Kentucky’s Big South Fork wilderness county – some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the eastern United States surround a community that consistently ranks among Kentucky’s most economically challenged counties.
The Big South Fork NRRA’s sandstone gorge – with natural arches, waterfalls, and hemlock canyons – provides world-class hiking, horseback riding, and whitewater in a remote southeastern Kentucky setting. Yahoo Falls at 113 feet is Kentucky’s highest waterfall.
Whitley City (the county seat, population ~900) is one of Kentucky’s smallest county seats, serving a widely dispersed rural population.
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McCreary County PVA at 24 S. Highway 27, Suite 104, Whitley City, KY 42653, phone 606-376-2940. KY property assessed at fair cash value.
Courts & Legal
McCreary County Circuit Court at 24 S. Highway 27, Whitley City, KY 42653, phone 606-376-2411, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2411
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Court Records)
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2474
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2411
Genealogy
County-level record sources
McCreary County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, straddling the KY-TN border, is a significant local natural and historical resource.
Local societies
No dedicated McCreary County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
McCreary County District Court 1 North Main Street, Whitley City, KY 42653 (606) 376-5041
McCreary County was founded March 12, 1912, named for Governor James B. McCreary, on the Tennessee border in southeastern Kentucky near Daniel Boone National Forest and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Its seat, Whitley City, is unincorporated; its largest community is Pine Knot.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Kentucky has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code; probate is governed by KRS Chapter 395 (Administration of Estates), handled by the District Court in the county where the decedent resided (KRS 24A.120).
Dispensing with Administration – Kentucky’s simplified small-estate procedure, governed by KRS 395.450, 395.455, and 395.470. Available when the value of the personal estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $30,000, and the petitioner is a surviving spouse, adult child, or other qualifying heir/preferred creditor. The petitioner files a Petition to Dispense with Administration (Form AOC-830) with an affidavit listing assets, debts, and proposed distribution – no personal representative or full administration is required. Real estate is generally not covered by this procedure.
Regular (Full) Administration – for larger or more complex estates, the District Court appoints a personal representative (executor if named in a will, administrator if intestate), who gathers assets, pays debts, and distributes what remains under court oversight.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor/Administrator (Form AOC-805) with the District Court in the county of residence.
If there’s a will, the court admits it to probate; it is then recorded with the county clerk (KRS 394.140).
The personal representative files an Inventory and Appraisement (Form AOC-841) of estate assets.
Notice to creditors is published; creditors generally have 6 months from appointment to file claims.
The personal representative pays valid debts, taxes, and expenses.
A Settlement of Estate (Form AOC-846) is filed, and the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Filing fees and publication costs are collected by the clerk and vary somewhat by county.
Kentucky does not require an attorney for probate, though it is commonly recommended, especially for formal administration.
Typical timelines: full probate generally takes 6-12 months; the creditor claims period is 6 months. Dispensing with Administration can move significantly faster once the estate qualifies.
Before distribution, a surviving spouse may petition for release of up to $2,500 from the estate as an exempt charge against estate property.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2322
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2322
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections, Marriage Licenses)
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2411
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
239 Main St., Whitley City, KY 42653
(606) 376-2411
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
McCreary County Health Dept
(606) 376-2412
KY CHFS — Cumberland Region
(606) 337-1977
KY Medicaid
(855) 306-8959
McCreary County ARH Hospital
arh.org/mccreary (Whitley City — quality critical access hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: McCreary County Health Department – confirm current contact via mccrearycounty.com.
Hospital: South Fork Medical and several other regional clinics (Eastern Kentucky Health Care, First Choice Immediate Care, Hope Primary & Urgent Care) serve the county; confirm current nearest full-service hospital.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Whitley City
Population: 17,000
Area: 427 sq mi
Established: 1912
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for McCreary County residents.
