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Feud Trial historical marker.

Feudists On Trial (Hanging Site)

Field review by the editors.

Pikeville, Kentucky

Ellison "Cottontop" Mounts was a member of the Hatfield clan and the last official death in the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud. He was hanged on February 18, 1890, for the murder of one of the McCoys two years earlier. Newspaper accounts at the time note that Cottontop blew smoke rings from a cigar as his death warrant was read, and that his last words as the trap was sprung were, "The Hatfields made me do it!"

By law the gallows had to be surrounded by a high fence, shielding it from the public -- but because thousands of people had come to see the hanging, the gallows was built at the base of a hill so that everyone could have a clear view from the hillside.

Also see: Hatfield-McCoy Feudin' Trail

Feudists On Trial (Hanging Site)

Address:
Kentucky Ave., Pikeville, KY
Directions:
US Hwy 23 exit 24. Drive west into Pikeville for a little over a mile. You'll pass the Sunrise Plaza strip mall on the left, and after a stretch of nothing but trees on the right, turn right onto Kentucky Ave. You'll drive up a hill, past some houses, until you enter the Pikeville University campus. Just before you reach the pedestrian overpass, you'll see the marker on the right.
Admission:
Free
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Nearby Offbeat Places

Octavia Hatcher: Buried Alive?Octavia Hatcher: Buried Alive?, Pikeville, KY - < 1 mi.
Big Sandy Heritage Museum: Hatfield-McCoyBig Sandy Heritage Museum: Hatfield-McCoy, Pikeville, KY - < 1 mi.
Hatfield-McCoy Feud CemeteryHatfield-McCoy Feud Cemetery, Pikeville, KY - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Matewan Flood Wall, Matewan, WV - 22 mi.

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