Hell for Certain, Kentucky

Hell for Certain is an Unincorporated community in Leslie County, Kentucky, United States.

The unincorporated town of Dryhill, (37.1546° North, 83.4157° West), is the proper name of Hell for Certain, located 7 miles (11 km) north of the small town of Hyden. Dryhill became known by this name because it is located near Hell for Certain Creek.[1]

The area is sparsely populated due to the hilly, forested terrain, and is generally inhabited by families who have passed on their property from one generation to the next. In the late 20th century, a number of newer homes were built throughout the region by people not native to the Appalachian region.

At the mouth of Hell for Certain Creek, at the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, a mission church exists which was started in the early 1950s by the late Miss Evelyn Fuqua,[2] who was a licensed minister in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

The area has been extensively mined for coal. The Geological Society of America has borrowed "Hell for Certain" as a name for the tonstein located there, and throughout the Appalachian basin.

Less well known is another creek also known as "Hell for Certain." This one is located in Lee County, Kentucky (37.5819° North, 83.7023° West). There are also communities known as "Hell Creek" and "Whynot?" in Lee County.

The Bluegrass Brewing Company of Louisville, Kentucky has named one of their beers after Hell for Certain.

There is a story of how this area got its name. It is said that a preacher went to this area. When he went home his peers asked him where he went. His reply was, "I have no idea, but it was hell for certain." This story has been passed down for generations.

References

  1. "University of Kentucky". March 2000.
  2. "History of the Southern Ohio District Fellowship of Brethren Churches" by Historical Publication Committee, 1975

External links

Coordinates: 37°9′16.6″N 83°24′56.5″W / 37.154611°N 83.415694°W