[2] The town is the birthplace of country singer Loretta Lynn, who paid tribute to the community in the song "Coal Miner's Daughter", which begins with the lyrics Well, I was born'd a coal miner's daughter.

In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler.Later in the song, she also mentions Van Lear, the larger community in which Butcher Hollow is located: My daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mines.

Most of the residents work in locations outside Van Lear, including the nearby cities of Paintsville, Prestonsburg, and Pikeville.

Since the end of local mining, only a handful of businesses continue to operate in the Van Lear area, including a bookstore, Mine Number 5 Store, The East Kentucky Museum of Mysteries, and Icky's 1950s Snack Shop (located inside the Coal Miners' Museum).

Although Butcher Hollow is often listed as a separate town, it is geographically considered a street or a neighborhood by natives of Eastern Kentucky.