Whitesburg

Whitaker Bank of Letcher County, formerly The Bank of Whitesburg, has served the county of Letcher since 1932. In a county whose major industry is in the coal business, the bank is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where the headwaters of the North Fork of the Kentucky River originates, in the southeastern corner of Kentucky. Letcher County was formed in 1842 and named after Governor Robert P. Letcher.

After the turn of the 19th Century and the coming of the railroads and the building of coal camps (rows of housing for workers in the coalmines), the county grew. Along with the growth came the establishment of the banking industry. After the Depression in the 20’s all four banks in Letcher County closed. Then, in 1932 a new bank was opened in Whitesburg with a capital of $7500.00. Since the opening and six Presidents later and came the change of ownership in 1986 by the Whitaker Bank Corporation. Whitaker Bank of Letcher County now operates with 52 employees and assets in excess of 190 million in deposits, along with branches in Isom, Jenkins, North Highway 15 at Whitesburg and Main Office we are still serving the county.

The county has changed its landscape but the hills are still an asset to the populace of the county. Industry is still mainly in coal, but with the opening of the Appalachian Regional Hospital in the mid 1950’s and Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation in the 1970’s the county is still growing. Tourism is also a growing commodity within the beautiful hills. Some local attractions include, hunting, fishing, sites such as Fish Pond Lake, Bad Branch Falls, and the scenic trip atop Pine Mountain to the Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come Trail. In the early part of this century the construction of a four-lane road connected US 23 from Pike County at Jenkins to Virginia. The rock formation in the gaps of the mountains brought geologists from all over the United States to study the stratum.

Although the farthest remote branch of WHITAKER BANK we are proud to be Letcher Countians and truly are “UNIQUELY KENTUCKY.”