[6] Many of the families at the beginning of Johnson County's formation were of Scottish, Irish, English, or German descent.

Also, a fact lost to most historians is the large population of French Huguenots who were confused as English because they fled via England en route to the United States.

Mail and supplies reached Johnson County from the Bluegrass region by horseback and steamboat.

Years later, stage coaches began to connect eastern Kentucky and Johnson County to the bluegrass region and the rest of civilization.

This was repealed quickly after Colonel James Garfield's Union brigade marched through Paintsville, (with the United States Flag being raised above the town courthouse) on its way to defeat the Confederate cavalry at the Battle of Middle Creek in Floyd County.

[7] Following the Civil War, Thomas Jefferson Mayo moved to Paintsville to fulfill a role as a gifted and talented teacher.

Financing was slow to return to the coal industry in eastern Kentucky and this inhibited development in Johnson County.

It was also during this time that many people lost their property due to a strange rash of fires in several county seats, destroying deeds and records of ownership, which paved the way for land-grabbers to take what the owners did not want to relinquish.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway first opened its Paintsville depot on September 1, 1904, following 25 years of work connecting it to Lawrence County.

Following the development of the railroad, tens of thousands of tons of coal were being transported out of eastern Kentucky by 1910.

[10] Its lowest point is the Levisa Fork on the Lawrence County border, with an elevation of about 550 feet (170 m).

Johnson County Middle School's academic team has won the most State Governor's Cups.

Johnson Central High School performs well in various areas and is well known statewide for their academic, football, and basketball teams.

named a U.S. News & World Report Top American High School, being given a bronze award.

Johnson Central offers many clubs including STLP, FBLA, DECA, Beta, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA and FCCLA.

Note that in Kentucky, the only sports in which schools are divided into enrollment classes are football, cross-country and track.

Both the Johnson County and Paintsville Independent districts met all of the No Child Left Behind standards set by the national government.

In the same year as Mayo's death (1914), the first county fair was held in Paintsville, where the first Apple King was also crowned.

In 1962, Johnson County hosted the first Kentucky Apple Festival,[7] which has been held annually in Paintsville since.

The streets of downtown Paintsville are closed to vehicular traffic and festivities to include live music and entertainment, along with various competitions.

This scenic state park contains a 1,140 acres (4.6 km2) lake, a 12,404-acre (50.20 km2) wildlife management area, a marina, a 4 lane boat dock, a restaurant, a convenience store, boat rentals, multiple picnic shelters, playgrounds, and both developed and primitive camp sites.

This museum has many exhibits that tell the stories of the country music stars that grew up near U.S. Route 23 in Eastern Kentucky.

Childhood home of country music superstar, Loretta Lynn Located at Butcher Hollow in Van Lear.

The Mountain Homeplace gives a unique look at a replica of an Eastern Kentucky farming community from the mid-nineteenth century.