Town file

Fleming-Neon, Kentucky

Fleming-Neon, Kentucky (Letcher County, Kentucky) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 38, "The Recipe For A Butcher" (4 October 2017). Fleming-Neon is a small town in the south-east corner of Kentucky, in Letcher County, on the border with Virginia.

Town
Fleming-Neon
County
Letcher County
State
Kentucky
Country
USA
Episodes
38
Approximate location
37.199, -82.703
N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Episode 38 / 4 October 2017 / 102 min / full

The Recipe For A Butcher

"James says they are heading to Fleming-Neon, Kentucky, in the south-east corner of the state on the Kentucky-Virginia border." about 0:05:43

The case: Murder of Edwin and Bessie Morris (June 16, 1985); Robbery of Dr Roscoe Acker and murder of Tammy Acker (August 8, 1985). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2017

Population
728
Median age
35 and a half
Median household income
$20,781
Median home value
$46,100
Two-bedroom rent
$622
Cost of living
79
Religious
25%
Property crime
exactly average
Violent crime
▲ about 10% higher

History, in brief

  • Fleming-Neon was established by the Elkhorn Coal Corporation in 1913 to house miners at its first big mine. about 0:09:05
  • The mine and town of Fleming were named for George W. Fleming, president of the coal corporation. about 0:09:30
  • A nearby city called Chip folded into Fleming, which became the centre of the local coal towns. about 0:10:41
  • Coal was hauled out of Fleming by train. about 0:11:12
  • Local tradition says Neon was named from the conductor's call of 'neon', meaning get on, to passengers boarding the train. about 0:11:29
  • Fleming and Neon merged in 1977 into Fleming-Neon by municipal incorporation by the state assembly. about 0:12:14
  • Fleming-Neon had no town website; the town council supposedly thought one would be too fancy. about 0:08:28
  • The nearest haunted site advertised for Fleming-Neon was 17.4 miles away. about 0:12:29
  • Legend says the ghost of a young woman who hanged herself from pipes in Bower Sturgeil Hall haunts the University of Virginia's College at Wise. about 0:13:07
  • Laurel Grove Cemetery in Norton, Virginia, is said to be haunted, with cold temperatures after midnight and shadowy figures. about 0:13:51
  • Notable people from the town include singers Martha Carson and Jean Chapel and basketball player Johnny Cox, who played for the Chicago Zephyrs. about 0:15:16

Open the episode file

Nearest Small Town Murder towns

Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.