The Lawrence County Junior Miss program began in 1973 when Julie Blackwell Chase won as the Persimmon Festival Queen and attended Indiana Junior Miss as Lawrence County's contestant.

The program started in earnest in 1979 in large part due to the involvement of the Bedford Jaycees. It became a separate program dedicated to following state and national guidelines for Junior Miss programs.

The program continued to grow throughout the next 25 years and has become a staple of Lawrence County programs.