I had the pleasure of taking a walk in Pineville, Kentucky on Sunday, March 5th, 2013. The first thing I saw was a beautiful layer of morning fog and beautiful mountains all around. The county seat of Bell County traces its history back the 1781. The downtown area has a number of beautiful buildings including the Bell County Courthouse, the Bell Theater, and a number of shops with second and third floors likely used as lofts. In addition to the great architecture and rich history, the buildings surrounding the courthouse showcase a number of beautiful colors, giving the city a feel all its own. There’s a few cool bars and pizzerias giving this community of just around 1,600 residents plenty to choose from. Many buildings seem to have party walls meaning that buildings share a wall between them. Other buildings have some space between them, creating a nice amount of architectural diversity.
I really like that the county takes pride its courthouse grounds. I especially liked the Mountain Gateway sign, as well as the Joshua Fry Bell one which was immaculate. The grounds were landscaped, there was absolutely no litter anywhere, and the building itself seemed very well looked after. Although I didn’t see any law enforcement while visiting Pineville, the community seemed extremely safe to me. I walked pretty much the entire downtown area without incident. All the people I came across were very nice, and you could tell they took great pride in where they lived.
I saw a great many U.S. flags all throughout town, but I didn’t see one at the post office. I’ll admit that kind of threw me off since every USPS branch I’ve come across in the United States has Old Glory flying proud. As I said on the video, though, it’s very possible their flag was either old, faded, or torn, and they had ordered a new flag. I do plan on returning to Pineville and hope to see the stars and stripes flying.
Pineville’s city hall is a rock’s throw from the county courthouse and is a beautiful building. It seems like a a great example of fiscally-responsible spending. They have a few offices in a small building and seemingly take care of business. The United Methodist Church, across the street, looks very beautiful. Interestingly, the Bell County Detention Center looks several times bigger than city hall and almost as big as the courthouse. Why does a county with a population of under 2,000 people have such a large corrections facility? Could be it be that only a portion of the building is used for housing inmates? Perhaps it shares a floor with another agency or two? I don’t really know, but I’m clearly intrigued.
One last note, which may seem a little trivial, but there are A LOT of birds in Pineville. I filmed in three or four parts of downtown and there seemed to be different birds wherever I went. Between the fog, the mountains, and the birds, Pineville seems to be embraced by Mother Nature. All in all it’s an absolutely beautiful city and county seat with plenty of life. If you’re ever in the area, by all means check it out. And especially look into the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, and all the great eateries and shops.
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