"When the mines opened in the 19th century were worked out on New River, they began to open on the Allegheny Plateau, where railroad companies built lines along the rivers. In the 1910s the railroad made its wa More
"Shumate's Branch was settled in the 19th century by Green Clay (son of Charles and Aura Clay) and his wife Betsy Ann, daughter of Jacob and Celia Pettry, who had settled in Hazy Creek. The hollow was home to d More
As the women cleaning ramps in the "ramp circle" on Drews Creek made clear (see ramp essay), you can start your own ramp patch from the small rootlets leftover from the cleaning process. Many domesticated ramp More
As the women cleaning ramps in the "ramp circle" on Drews Creek made clear (see ramp essay), you can start your own ramp patch from the small rootlets leftover from the cleaning process. Many domesticated ramp More
Event: Visit with Joe Ailff. Joe Aliff writes, "Many school children and adults come to this modest museum to see the collection of fossils, photos and examples of the current conditions of plant life -- especi More
Event: Visit with Joe Ailff. Public domain photograph - historical image of West Virginia, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Big vegetable gardens are a distinctive feature of the landscape on Coal River and throughout the southern West Virginia coalfields. Gardens, together with produce from the woods, have been linked historically More
Each Tuesday morning from September through May, a number of women on Drews Creek get together to quilt. Sometimes they quilt at the Ramp House, a community center at the head of Drews Creek across from the Del More
Mountaintop removal and reclamation introduces several new landforms to the coal fields. One of the introduced landforms is the "wet refuse impoundment," a structure designed to store the waste from coal prepar More
Each Tuesday morning from September through May, a number of women on Drews Creek get together to quilt. Sometimes they quilt at the Ramp House, a community center at the head of Drews Creek across from the Del More
The Union Hall in Sundial is the meeting place for Union Local 6608 of the United Mine Workers. During the field project there was much discussion of the Massey/Pittston strikes that had occurred in the 1980s, More
Event: Helicopter tour of Mountaintop Removal and Reclamation on Big Coal River watershed. Through mountaintop removal and reclamation, the coal industry is introducing several new landforms to the coal fields. More
During black walnut season in 1995, we visited the home of Wesley Scarbrough's uncle, Herman Williams, Sr. on Buffalo Fork of Clear Fork. Wesley's cousin Herman, Jr. was there with his son, Nicholas, who cracke More
Event: Aerial tour of mountaintop removal and reclamation. Though permit applications for mountaintop removal projects routinely attest to the absence of prime farmland in such sites, articles in 19th century i More
Event: Helicopter tour of Coal River and Mountaintop Removal Sites. In the 1990s, mountaintop removal and reclamation became the mining method of choice for coal operators in central Appalachia. Mountaintop rem More
Big vegetable gardens are a distinctive feature of the landscape on Coal River and throughout the southern West Virginia coalfields. Gardens, together with produce from the woods, have been linked historically More
Big vegetable gardens are a distinctive feature of the landscape on Coal River and throughout the southern West Virginia coalfields. Gardens, together with produce from the woods, have been linked historically More
Event: Aerial tour of mountaintop removal and reclamation. Valley fills serve as sites for dumping the excess rocks and dirt excavated in order to retrieve multiple seams of coal. This shot affords a view of th More
Mountaintop removal and reclamation introduces several new landforms to the coal fields. One of the introduced landforms is the "wet refuse impoundment," a structure designed to store the waste from coal prepar More
Dennis Dickens lives on Williams' Branch of Peachtree Creek. Williams' Branch is named for Dennis Dickens' grandfather. William was the son of John Dickens, who was the son of Thomas Dickens, who obtained a dee More
Event: Aerial tour of mountaintop removal and reclamation. Public domain photograph - historical image of West Virginia, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Event: Helicopter tour of Coal River and Mountaintop Removal Sites. In the 1990s, mountaintop removal and reclamation became the mining method of choice for coal operators in central Appalachia. Mountaintop rem More
Dennis Dickens lives on Williams' Branch of Peachtree Creek. Williams' Branch is named for Dennis Dickens' grandfather. William was the son of John Dickens, who was the son of Thomas Dickens, who obtained a dee More
When the Beckley Mines closed down in the 1980s, John Bowman entered the flea market business. Flea markets in the region span a gamut from large, more formal sites like the Beckley Flea Market (open on Wednesd More