Smith is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Harlan County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, United States. The community lies along Kentucky State Route 987 and the Martins Fork of the Cumberland River. Smith is also home to Martins Fork Lake. The lake was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of several

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

projects along the Cumberland River. The dam was complete and functional in November 1978. Until the early 1970s the community was served by Smith Elementary School. When plans were being made for construction to Martins Fork Lake, the school was closed and students were sent to nearby Cawood Elementary. The community post office was closed in the early 1990s. The community today is served by four churches. Pace Chapel, New Riverside Baptist Church, Full-Gospel Pentecostal Church and Faith-Holiness Church.

References

Unincorporated communities in Harlan County, Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Kentucky {{HarlanCountyKY-geo-stub