Life In A West Virginia Coal Camp

[@petegregory517]

Wringer washer story from mid-ish up '50's. Mom told dad that there was something wrong with it, cut off-on, quit then go. He said "short" I'll fix it. Dad new a lot about cars, owned a body shop but not real tuned in on electrical. In fact mom told him to call Frank Oller as he did that type stuff on the side. Dad "nah, I'll get it." Next wash day, mom had it rolling along but put her hand on the washer and reached to cut off the water (old farm house, steel everything) barely touched the spigot.....BAM!--mom went about 3 ft straight back and hit the wall, sort of but not quite slid to floor (I was there, about 6ish?) but regained to stand, shakily. Right to the phone. "You call Modern Home and get me a new machine today....or don't expect another meal from me."....Sah-lammed down the receiver, drained the water from the machine and drug it out the back door and pushed it down the steps. Guys delivered a new automatic, top of the line Maytag about 2 hours later. Good times. How do I remember (close to) what was said? One of Mom's favorite stories many years because she talked to dad that way and lived to tell it. He was a good dad, just don't kick the rice crispy's out of his bowl, my brother found out, hard way, couple times.

[@realappalachia]

Haha that was great! I don’t blame her!! Thanks for sharing! - Melody

[@herdfreak2]

I like the single miner cabin.

[@realappalachia]

Very cozy! - Melody

[@herdfreak2]

@@realappalachia I have been there before, really enjoyed it!

[@tasossaros8375]

Great day. 💖

[@greatmusicfan57]

Thanks for this interesting video. These people were instrumental in keeping the lights on for this whole nation! Lest we forget.💕🇺🇸

[@bradlane3662]

And making the steel that built the war machines that saved our freedoms and the cities that harbor the wokesters who are now destroying it all!

[@navydogsadventures3500]

I love old antique furniture. It's great seeing all this. These camps remind me of military with all they have.

[@bradlane3662]

My Dad was a coal miner. Of course, they didn't use the carbide lights anymore. The wheat lights were being used. Dad was a avid coon hunter and he had a collection of carbide lights. Coon hunting is done at night, and we used the carbide lights for walking lights. And once the dogs had a coon treed, he used a wheat light to spot it in the tops of the trees. I really enjoyed this tour and all the memorabilia. I know life expectancy was shorter and life was harder. But they didn't miss what they never had. And I believe the simplicity, love of God, family, and country, and the morality and structure of their lives more than made up for the negatives. Definitely when I should have existed. Or the generation before. Thank y'all.❤

[@femaleprofessionaldriver7650]

Great video!! I absolutely love the pictures of all the workers. Thanku for taking the time to show those in depth. Sure gives makes you stop and think about the hearts and souls of these people and the area.

[@josephhall8110]

Like y'alls videos, and it is fun to adventure. Our area is the best, been to Europe, Asia, & Central America. Many states. Born & raised in East Tn. No place like home. It's an amazing place to cherish.

[@realappalachia]

Absolutely! ❤️

[@patriciabogue6811]

Really enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@judypierce7028]

WOW! Absolutely loved this video. Simply awesome!!! A great piece of WV history. I assume you were in Raleigh County close to Beckley. Loved the superintendent's house especially the classroom. My goodness! Seeing those old students' desks really brought back memories of when I was in grade (elementary) school. The desks were bolted to the floor and always in straight rows. The teacher's desk was always up front of the students and blackboard. Wish sometimes we could go back to those days! Thank you for your interest in WV. God Bless you both. Stay safe on those thirdly roads Shane. Ha!

[@kennethstuckey7823]

What a spectacular video! Everything about Appalachia is so very beautiful, so very special in so many ways, yet so strongly humbling all the time! Shane and Melody, I respect and admire you both greatly! I have learned from your videos that cultural traits highly valued by the people of Appalachia, are intimately and unrelentingly tied to religious beliefs shaped by the challenges of frontier life--humility, well-defined family structure, self-sufficiency and resourcefulness, and hospitality are all encouraged by the Holy Scriptures, and all were essential for survival in the remote. What a valuable lesson to learn and one that people everywhere in the 21st century need to heed! Wow!

[@realappalachia]

Thank you so much!!

[@kennethstuckey7823]

​You are both very welcome!

[@stevenww3560]

Last night we got 4 inches of wet heavy snow and these next few days won't reach 40 degrees! You guys got nice warm weather with full green there ! If I could handle uour hot summers I'd move there !!

[@realappalachia]

Goodness! I’m over the cold. It’s supposed to only be in the 50s here this week so I dread that! - Melody

[@bradlane3662]

I'm where they are and it's in the 40s daytime now. Predicting light snow Wednesday. The old timers called this The Dark Spell In May, Blackberry Winter, or other names. I grew up here. Our winters used to be quite cold and snowy. And 90 degrees was such a oddity in summer that one town gave out free lemonade when it happened. It's very common now and we've already had 90 in April! Global warming I guess and I don't like it either!

[@GoodbyeKamala2024]

Another awesome video. I remember my grandpa and uncles working in the mines and coming home black as coal.

[@realappalachia]

Always having coal rimmed eyes even after showers! It’s a hard living. - Melody

[@GoodbyeKamala2024]

@@realappalachia Amen Melody. Grandma wouldn't let them in the house until they had a bath. An old washtub in the old smokehouse is where they headed.

[@hello9945]

Thank you Shane and Melody for another excellent video; we appreciate you!

[@OnkelPHMagee]

Now I've got a hankerin' to go to Beckley. (I say that as a superintendent's grandson.) The Beckley mine has probably been open 50 years for tours, but the relocated buildings are much more recent.😁

[@zxtenn]

Beautiful restoration!!!!

[@robinhaupt9119]

What a great place. Thank you for bringing us along Melody and Shane!

[@michaelmcallister6309]

Well done again you all ! ! !

[@chubs1701]

Great video once again my friends ❤ it thanks Shane and melody for the history and beautiful video ❤👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@realappalachia]

Thank you!!

[@chubs1701]

@@realappalachia thank you my friends 👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@terriquotskuyva4594]

Shane was excited in this tour!! Awesome to see… thank you

[@pambroderick4275]

I lived in Beckley for 8 years, and loved the Exhibition Coal Mine Museum! Thanks for sharing…brings back great memories! ❤❤

[@realappalachia]

That’s awesome, glad to hear it, Pam

[@danalynch8889]

When I was 8 years old my dad took my brother, girlfriend, her daughter and I to a old friend in West Virginia. She lived at the top of a mountain there were a few homes along the dirt road up there. Her shack like home had at least 2 bedrooms. She cooked on an actual full size wood burning stove that had an oven and the walls had newspaper on them. On the outside on top of a tall tower the height of the house was a huge tank which a young tall muscular man would keep it filled with water. So she had kitchen sink with running water a toilet that could flush. Unfortunately for the guy the nearest spring was 1/4 mile away and he would tote 2 buckets at a time repeatedly. The funny part five days before we left he found a spring in a stream below the road. At bottom of mountain were mainly hay farms. She would barter for some things she needed. She would take her eggs to a small country store and either sell them to the store or trade for something. She wanted to make strawberry jam so all of us went to her friends house who had a large strawberry patch on side of hill. So we traded labor for strawberries. We spent the night there and got my introduction to a outhouse, so image a kid afraid of spiders having to go in there at night. But us kids didn't want to live her as it was fun exploring the woods. I hope you enjoy this book.

[@realappalachia]

Sounds like some good memories!! Love it! Thanks for sharing! - Melody

[@tommyirwn131]

Nice video. West Virginia has great natural scenery

[@juliehaynes5413]

Thank you guys for sharing this!! I truly enjoyed it. Keep up all the awesome work you guys do!!

[@realappalachia]

Thanks so much! We appreciate the encouragement!! - Melody

[@Upsideofoutside]

Omg we went here last week!

[@realappalachia]

Oh cool! Haha we loved it! - Melody

[@johnnymayo8534]

Wonderful video tour! I enjoy going to historical sites. This one is now on my list to visit this year!

[@davemcfarland7709]

Extremely well done and very interesting tour of a coal camp. Love your two channels. Keep up the good work.

[@realappalachia]

Thank you!!

[@chubbawubba4287]

That carved chair back @3:37 is very impressive and cool. Love seeing the craftsmanship of years gone bye. Sad that much of that is a dying skill and talent very few are learning. As always thanks for sharing.

[@realappalachia]

Very true! Thank you! - Melody

[@christophersadler2930]

Great job. I use to live in the apartments across the street from this place. Also I attended a memorial service in that church after the UBB disaster of 2010.

[@DukeFan]

Kilsyth is a community outside of Beckley, near Mt Hope, WV. Skeleton is another community between Beckley and Mt Hope. Whipple is outside of Oak Hill, WV.

[@kimberlyhatcher7235]

I love those lunch buckets! My dad had one exactly like that. My sister sold it. She never gave us anything that belonged to our parents. She seen dollar signs!Thank you both for sharing this video! I have really enjoyed it

[@dndaaangel]

Wow! Awesome video really enjoyed it thank you

[@Desert-Tan-Whiskey]

👍👍👍

[@KarenAaron-e2s]

I love this video! I absolutely love that house and especially the kitchen! You are a kid at heart too Shane. You rung that 🔔🤣

[@kickthecan6253]

Groovy - fantastic - splendid 😮!!!!!😅.

[@mindyourownbusiness579]

The floors are as shiny as that woman’s face shield

[@dinopulizzi8481]

A wonderful video !

[@realappalachia]

Thank you!

[@michaelbragg6903]

The Whipple store was one of three built by Justus Collins. It was designed that a person could stand in the middle of the store and hear a conversation from any part of the store, even if it was whispered. Bodies were embalmed in the basement. There was even a ballroom that is suspended from the roof built for Collins’ wife so she could have dances there with their friends.

[@walterlangston4484]

This place is just a short drive from my house been there many times but never done a video there export for a short one inside the mine

[@bradlane3662]

Welch had a minor league baseball team. The Welch Miners. Not a lot of imagination put into the name but very appropriate! The field was where the National Guard Armory is located now, on Rt 16 inside Welch town limits. The wall is still there. Dad said it wasn't uncommon for windshields to be broken by the home run balls.

[@michaelbragg6903]

Kilsyth was actually named after a mining town of the same name in Scotland.

[@1940limited]

I could live in the supervisor's house right now just as it is.

[@leecoleman822]

🧨 💈🚂 🇺🇸

[@1940limited]

What were the coal buckets for?

[@realappalachia]

For the furnace! They would have coal burning stoves for heating and cooking usually! - Melody

[@1940limited]

@@realappalachia Thanks for that information.

[@trirail812productions8]

is west virginia still have people that liv there

[@michaelbragg6903]

Over one million of us. We are proud of our state.

[@bludgeonedtodeath90]

Is the coal industry still going?

[@realappalachia]

Yes, certain types of coal are doing really well right now

[@KimmyGibson]

Sorry....stopped me in my tracks at the dedication to Robert Byrd 😠