Driving away, I also passed through Pinesville, KY, another location mentioned in “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” It’s a bit more of a vibrant city, with more opportunity and more life.
The next day, I headed back to the museum and drove a large 90 mile stretch of Country Music Highway.
As I said, the museum is small, but it is an interesting landmark and worth seeing. They have some really interesting artifacts, including one of Loretta Lynn’s guitars, a couple of her dresses, as well as memorabilia from other artists who are celebrated at the museum. The museum does have a large focus on Loretta Lynn, as it is located in her home county, about three or four miles from her home, according to the tour guide who showed me around.
I had intended to include some photos here, but the museum had a policy against photography. Being such a small local museum and wanting to draw in tourists, I’m sure they want to avoid people photographing the entire museum (which in all honesty, would be completely possible).
If you’re ever in the Eastern Kentucky area, it’s a museum well worth taking an hour of your time to see. A tour guide will personally show you around and is very knowledgeable. It’s an interesting local and well worth the time and was well worth my trip down.