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
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
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Pound, Virginia7.3 miles
- Raccoon, Kentucky25 miles
- Dingess, West Virginia55 miles
- Hensley, West Virginia58 miles
- Baileyton, Tennessee61 miles
- Skygusty, West Virginia68 miles
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.