Blackey, KY

Blackey is an unincorporated community in Letcher County, Kentucky, in the United States. The 2020 census counted 109 residents. Blackey is located near the early settlement of Indian Bottom. Blackey is thought to have been named after Blackey Brown, one of its citizens. Just across a small bridge is the C. Caudill Store & History Center, which was operated by Joe Begley and his wife Gaynell. Blackey has a lending library, a branch of the Letcher County Library. That mix gives Blackey a clear local shape within Kentucky, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present.

The history of Blackey began in 1908, after local resident Jim Brown was given permission to establish a post office on Elk Creek. He decided to name the post office "Blackey", after his brother Joseph "Blackey" Brown. Kentucky Route 7 passes through the town, leading west and northwest down the North Fork valley 19 miles to Jeff, and northeast up the valley of Rockhouse Creek then north down the valley of the Right Fork of Beaver Creek 40 miles to Wayland.