On December 13, 1799, the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation to form Floyd County as the 40th county of Kentucky and was made from parts of Fleming, Montgomery, and Mason counties. The legislation became effective on June 1, 1800. The county was named for James John Floyd who was a pioneer surveyor who helped lay out the city of Louisville. The county seat was Preston’s Station, later renamed Prestonsburg. The first courthouse burned down on April 8, 1808, destroying all the early records so the earliest records of government activity do not date prior to 1808. Sitting at 396 square miles, Floyd County is home to almost 36,000 residents.