Beattyville, the seat of Lee county, is on the forks of the
Kentucky River. The site was originally known as Taylors Landing
(the source of the name is not known). In 1850 it was renamed
Beatty for Samuel Beatty, an early settler and landowner, and in
1872 was incorporated as Beattyville. The county seat was moved
to Beattyville in 1872 from nearby Proctor. The population in
1990 was 1,131. The Lee County Courthouse in Beattyville.