Bledsoe, Kentucky
25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Pine Mountain census division. It lies in ZIP code area 40810. It stands on Reuben Branch. The Survey maps it on the Bledsoe quadrangle. It stands 1,417 feet above sea level.
On record in Bledsoe
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Pine Mountain Settlement SchoolNational Historic Landmark · listed 1978
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 25 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1887 USGS Jonesville quadrangle1:125000
- 1891 USGS Jonesville quadrangle1:125000, 9 printings
- 1903 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:48000
- 1916 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:48000
- 1919 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Bledsoe quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1977 USGS Middlesboro quadrangle1:100000
- 1980 USGS Bledsoe quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
124 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 124 fires within 5 miles of Bledsoe between 1997 and 2019, burning about 6,231 acres in total. None started naturally. 22 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 52 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 22 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 6 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 22 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 14 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | BUCK HOLLOW FIRE |
| 7 May 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 10 May 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | DANIELS ROAD |
| 1 May 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 84 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 9 April 2009 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 8 April 2002 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Bledsoe: 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Pine Mountain Sandstone Outcrop | Silica | Prospect |
Storms near this place
13 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bledsoe in 13 storm reports between 2002 and 2021: 9 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2016 | Flash Flood | Bledsoe | $500,000 | Law enforcement reported several instances of significant flash flooding between Bledsoe and Baxter. Radar estimates and rain gauges indicated 3 to 6 inches of rain fell across Harlan County, with one cooperative observer 3 miles north of Harlan measuring 6.02 inches of rain. Considerable property damage was incurred, including that to between 75 to 100 homes as well as several fences and yards. Some homes in Bledsoe ended up with 3 to 4 feet of water inside of them. Roads and small bridges along U.S. Highway 421 were washed away as creeks spilled over their banks. Roads were further hampered by a rock/mud slide at U.S. Highway 119 and Sukey Ridge Rd outside of Baxter. The Kentucky State Emergency Operations Center received requests for assistance and resources from county officials as written declarations were also composed. American Red Cross teams were mobilized to Harlan County, providing food and water to residents. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | $7,000 | Power lines were blown down. |
| February 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | $2,000 | Two trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts on Highway 221 west. |
| May 2020 | Heavy Rain | Bledsoe | $1,000 | The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported a mudslide near Bledsoe, due to previous heavy rainfall, on U.S. Highway 421 near the base of Pine Mountain. This caused the highway to be blocked in both directions for over six hours, while operating on one lane only for over an additional 20 hours. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | $1,000 | A tree was blown down across a road. |
| March 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | $1,000 | One tree was blown down on KY Highway 421. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | $500 | A few trees were reported down in and around the Bledsoe Community, near the Leslie County line. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | - | A tree was blown down and onto US Hwy 421. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | - | Law enforcement officials reported numerous downed trees, large limbs, and power lines in a swath from Bledsoe to Smith. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | - | Trees and power lines were blown down. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bledsoe | - | A tree was blown down and across Reubens Branch Road near the bottom of Pine Mountain. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bledsoe | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Bledsoe | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Bledsoe | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q4925860 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 510783. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.











