The Paintsville Historic Walking Tour
Opening Hours
| Days | Times |
|---|---|
| Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 9:30am - 5:00pm |
| Tuesday & Thursday | 9:30am - 8:00pm |
| Saturday | 9:00am - 2:00pm |
| Sunday - Closed | |
Learn More
Johnson County Public Library
The Paintsville Historic Walking Tour Presented by the Johnson County Public Library
The Paintsville Historic Walking Tour
The Paintsville Historic Walking Tour is a self-guided tour of historic sites on Main, Second and Third Streets in downtown Paintsville. The self-guided tour is currently under development, so not all stops are available at this time. The tour began, and continues, as a docent-guided tour with more than 60 stops. It was launched in September 2010 after an initial idea from Library Director Karen S. Daniel and much research and work by Daniel, local historians and Johnson County Public Library staff. Development of the digital tour has been ongoing since 2018 and will be a continuing effort to add to the historical record of Paintsville and Johnson County, Kentucky.
Take a Tour of Historic Paintsville
About the Library
As you will learn when you explore our tour, library service in Johnson County began with the pack horse library. May Florence Stafford was the first pack horse librarian, serving in 1913-1914. This effort was funded by John C.C. Mayo. Stafford later served as supervisor of 12-15 pack horse librarians in 1938-1943 under the WPA. This group operated out of the Frew Stafford building on the corner of Main and College Streets in Paintsville. The WPA program merged with the library in 1940 when federal funds began to dwindle. The Library opened in a WPA building on the corner of Second and College Streets and remained there until moving to its current location at 444 Main Street in 1970. The library’s first bookmobile was donated in 1969. The library has recently been renovated, presenting a fresh new decor and an interactive play-on replica of the Library's new bookmobile in the chidlren's area and the addition of the Robert M. Conley multipurpose room. The Library offers two other meetings rooms with all the convenience of modern technology, a wide variety of programs, and excellent customer service.