Appalachia’s Coal Miners Killed on the Job By Tabitha Wallen Something near and dear to my heart, a part of my very soul, are coal miners. My dad worked for McCoy Labs in Pikeville, testing water and soil samples on mining sites. His father drove a coal truck for the

Appalachian Arts and Crafts/ Cumberland Gap TN.

– A HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO PIKEVILLE, KENTUCKY The Times They Are A- Changin’ Gayle Compton (Note: The original version of the following was published in Coal People Magazine in 2015, seven years before Pikeville, Kentucky, would be celebrating its Bicentennial.  Changes in the names of some landmarks and certain demographics

The healer, most of the time women, sometimes called a granny witch. He or she, doesn’t use magic as in pulling a rabbit out of a hat, waving a wand while repeating the words hocus pocus. And not in the sense of a magic show by Harry Houdini, in some Las Vegas

Second Street, Pikeville Kentucky 1949

This Birch Knob Trail runs from Elkhorn City to Pound Gap in Pike and Letcher County. Raven’s Nest Staircase Caves Tucker Gap Osborne Gap Part of the old County Road that crossed into Virginia. (above) Oxen shoes Grassy Gap Blowing Rock Gap The Ridgeline just above Poll Point, looking toward

PIKEVILLE NATIONAL BANK-THE FIRST 79 YEARS October 9, 1930. Pike County News Pikeville National Bank, Main Street Front. From the Wellman Collection

The mother involved in this case is Lurena Ray.

Bethlehem Plans Big Pike Mine Jenkins, Ky., Oct. 25—The giant Bethlehem Mines Corporation, one of the three largest mining firms in Eastern Kentucky-announced plans here Friday for developing a “multimillion dollar” underground coal mining and preparation plant in southwestern Pike County. The modern plant and mine will be located on

BIG SHOAL, KENTUCKY James Hatcher Birthday Party The entire population of Big Shoal, Kentucky, turned out for “Uncle Jim” Hatcher’s birthday party on September 22nd, 1919, in front of the company store. The party was attended by many of Hatcher’s Floyd County friends and relatives. Hatcher can be seen in

A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. The One Hundred Club _ _ _ _ Blue Grass Council / Complete History By Tim Brown _ _ _ _ _ TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA FOR THE YEAR

The Hatcher Hotel in Pikeville, built in 1931, contained 106 rooms, all equipped with ice-cold running water. It was erected at a cost of $250,000 and was managed by Hatcher himself. In its spacious lobby was a small museum displaying ox-yokes, ancient hand-made furniture, weapons of bygone days, a huge,

It was the mid-to-late 1930s, 1938 or so, and the site was the Ratliff Cemetery at Shelbiana.  If you look at the distant mountaintop, the right-of-way for the coming power lines is cut, but there are no wires or poles.  The crowd is gathered for the burial of a stone

Corrigan / McKinney Steel Company

Lt. William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield of the 45th under Capt. John Buchanan The 45th Battalion Virginia Infantry was raised by Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Beckley, mainly with men from the Virginia State Line, under the previous command of General John Buchanan Floyd, in late 1861. Floyd’s early measures at Bowling Green,

Appalachia’s Coal Miners Killed on the Job By Tabitha Wallen Something near and dear to my heart, a part of my very soul, are coal miners. My dad worked for McCoy Labs in Pikeville, testing water and soil samples on mining sites. His father drove a coal truck for the

This is part of the Praise Baseball team. Named from left to right: Ben Wright, Frank Wright, Booker Wright, Benton Wright, and Charlie Wright. Photo is courtesy of The Elkhorn City Heritage Council.

Big Sandy is know far and wide for her rich and prolific coal beds, or seams, and numerous operations are now in progress mining this product to be shipped to citizens in a less fortunate portion of the country; where coal fields are unknown. Of the many mines that are

Candidate for Pike County Sheriff 1925.

Appalachian Arts and Crafts/ Cumberland Gap TN.

Canceled

Over the past 250 years major animal traces were very noticeable across the Eastern Kentucky landscape. This particular trace is no longer used because of the change in topography on the ridge line between Floyd and Magoffin County. The Ridgeline between these two Counties is the diving boundary that separates

Over the past 250 years major animal traces were very noticeable across the Eastern Kentucky landscape. This particular trace is no longer used because of the change in topography on the ridge line between Floyd and Magoffin County. The Ridgeline between these two Counties is the diving boundary that separates

J. B. ELKHORN COAL COMPANY, Douglas, Hildason, Ky.(Mine No. 2.)Geo. A. Clutts, Superintendent; J. N. Woolum, Mine Foreman. Located on the S. V. & E. Railway. Operating the lower Elkhorn seam, 54 inches. Employing about 65 men. Electric equipment. Visited January 9, 1922. Found in fair condition. This report was

Lancer Lester and his sister Lennie Lester Damron, Photo provided by Mary Lou Kendrick Annual KY Mine Report 1922 (above)

Appalachia’s Coal Miners Killed on the Job By Tabitha Wallen Something near and dear to my heart, a part of my very soul, are coal miners. My dad worked for McCoy Labs in Pikeville, testing water and soil samples on mining sites. His father drove a coal truck for the

Eastern Kentucky For Sale 1795

– The Class of 1928, 1st thru 8th Grade Vonnie Horne Childers – Teacher One Room Schoolhouse, Heated by a pot bellied stove. Drinking water from a well from the home of Albert and Bertha Childers. This picture was given to me (Lawrence E. Cook) by my Mother’s sister, Burtis

Above is the Elswick Hotel in Elkhorn City. Special thanks to Roy Owens. Above is a sawmill that sat on the Mill-Race Point in Praise KY. The steam hoist behind pulled logs out of the Russel Fork River. Special thanks to Roy Owens. Above is a town map of Elkhorn

During the long nights of the Great Depression, the only entertainment was often a battery-powered Atwater-Kent or similar radio.  When dusk came and such major stations as WHAS Louisville boosted their power, families would often tune in to live studio music.  One of the top attractions was the father-and-son team

USGS TOPO MAP / DORTON 1954 Esco Railroad Siding and Tipple ESCO MINE CAR DISASTER Dec. 5, 1929 2 MEN KILLED, 2 HURT IN MINE INCLINE CRASH _______________ HATTON BURKE, SEEKING JOB, IS VICTIM AS CAR RUNS WILD _______________ TAN BRANHAM DIES AT HOSPITAL HERE _______________ OTHERS JUMP TO SAFETY

TALES OF LOST TREASURE have charmed people through the ages, from Oak Island to the Superstition Mountains.  The valleys of the upper Big Sandy and North Fork of the Kentucky River are no exception.  There is one story of hidden Appalachian riches that has survived for over 250 years.  The

An early traveler required taverns for overnight lodging, whether it was near the forest trail, up or down the Sandy River these taverns located in Pike County, and in the city of Pikeville, were always welcome pleasures. A place of safety and a place out of the cold. This was

Noah & John Reynolds

A special thanks to the Pike County Library for scanning and preserving these photos. And a special thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers for documenting the construction phases of the Fish Trap Dam.

Store and Office Building, Plant No.1, Freeburn, Portsmouth By-Product Coke Company. (above)

The topog­raphy of the Big Sandy country of eastern Ken­tucky and west/southwest Virginia has long been recognized as one of the most uncon­ventional regions east of the Mississippi River.  In reaching that state of geographic development, the watershed of the Big Sandy River has been undergoing geologic change for hundreds

Bessie Arnold Riddle / Pike County Clerk Paschal Fields Service Station Halls Cash Store

– A HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO PIKEVILLE, KENTUCKY The Times They Are A- Changin’ Gayle Compton (Note: The original version of the following was published in Coal People Magazine in 2015, seven years before Pikeville, Kentucky, would be celebrating its Bicentennial.  Changes in the names of some landmarks and certain demographics

Our story starts with Elizabeth Harvey. Elizabeth Dorcas May was born into the family of Thomas Patton May and Elizabeth (Leslie) May on July 8, 1852. Born on a Lower Johnson Creek farm very near or on the homestead of Robert Leslie 1763-1822, the grandfather of Elizabeth Dorcas May. In

Many years ago, as a young child I remember my father going squirrel hunting. Hunting season normally started after the middle of August, but he would always wait a little later in the season to avoid harvesting a squirrel to avoid finding parasites in their necks. Most hunters call them

Goody (formerly Leckieville) is located in the bottom-left corner of the photo above. Above is Pond Creek By-Products Colliery, a N&W Railway Company located above Leckieville.

Constable W.P. Damron Pike County Constable’s Office, Kentucky. End of Watch: Saturday, June 21, 1930

Corrigan / McKinney Steel Company

Third Annual Bulletin 1931

Postmarked Hellier, Kentucky July 19th, 1911. Boardinghouse.

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We have started a new social page highlighting different places throughout the region. Pond Creek is the official launch area targeting the 1920s through the 1960s. If you have good high-resolution photos, and have a wonderful story involving an individual, family, community or town and would like to share, please

In 1882 & 1883 the current Pike County Courthouse was in need of heavy repair. The act of the Kentucky State Legislature, entitled an act to authorize the Pike County Court to issue Bonds to raise money to build a Courthouse, Jail, Clerk’s Office, and other public buildings in said

Third Annual Bulletin 1931

The Hatcher Hotel in Pikeville, built in 1931, contained 106 rooms, all equipped with ice-cold running water. It was erected at a cost of $250,000 and was managed by Hatcher himself. In its spacious lobby was a small museum displaying ox-yokes, ancient hand-made furniture, weapons of bygone days, a huge,

How the County Got Its Name On December 19th, 2021, the great citizens of Pike County will be celebrating our county’s 200th Birthday. Long before Pike County was formed from a part of Floyd County, there was a great need for the settlers of Upper Levisa and Tug Fork to

Beginning on the next page is an autobiography of JOHN DILS, JR. which was published in William Ely’s 1883 “The Big Sandy Valley”.  Photos are from my collection, not from Ely’s book. In the autobiography Dils concentrated on his family history, his early days in Pikeville, his marriage, his business associations,

KEWANEE, KENTUCKY Kewanee Coal Co. would later be known as Kewanee Coal Mining Company, headquartered in Pikeville, Kentucky. The little mining community of Kewanee had its very Post Office and Railroad Station. Its President and General Manager was listed as O.P. Chatfield according to the Department of Inspection Mine Report

By Robert Baker After extensive research, the Reverend M. T. Burris is still something of a mystery.  What little that can be learned about him comes directly from his own writings reproduced here and from a few scattered public records.  However, it is clear that he was an early school-teacher

Majestic Tipple (above) Majestic Tipple Side Track, Looking Down Stream (above) Majestic Tipple Crew (above) Majestic Collieries Co. 1960 Mine Map (above) Majestic Collieries Co. 1952 Mine Map (above)

Southern Bible Institute 1950. The Torch Yearbook Collection. (above) Marrowbone Missionary Baptist Church 1073 (above)

Ben and Georgia Ratliff (above)

Lt. William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield of the 45th under Capt. John Buchanan The 45th Battalion Virginia Infantry was raised by Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Beckley, mainly with men from the Virginia State Line, under the previous command of General John Buchanan Floyd, in late 1861. Floyd’s early measures at Bowling Green,

The Marshall’s Branch Mine Complex was constructed in 1947. Marshall’s Branch was the first mine portal built away from the town of Jenkins, this was due, partly to part of the contract, where people would ride two or three hours a day which made production cost pretty expensive. The reason

MOSSY BOTTOM, KENTUCKY

Located on Pool Point Curve, near Elkhorn City KY.

Legend of Mathias Harman Storyteller is Mathias Harman The province on Mathias Harman is not of the usual story and is based on the 1787 contract with one John Preston, John Smith, Henry Skaggs, and me Mathias Harman to settle in what was then Mason County, originally Bourbon and then

Emma Katherine (Gudger) Langley 1888-1948 Katherine Gudger was born near Marshall, North Carolina, on February 14, 1888, to James Madison Gudger and Katherine Hawkins.* Gudger graduated in 1901 from the Woman’s College in Richmond, Virginia, and went on briefly to Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. A short teaching job

A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. The One Hundred Club _ _ _ _ Blue Grass Council / Complete History By Tim Brown _ _ _ _ _ TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA FOR THE YEAR

Local Native American Habitation The Pike County Historical Society has recently been allowed from a local collector to photograph a local Native American collection. All items came from an area in and/or immediately adjacent to Pike County. The bead necklace has been restrung and the stone axe rehandled. The majority

Twenty-two people died in the four-state region, including 10 in Kentucky, due to the flooding which also affected southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia and parts of Tennessee as the heavy rain continued through April 5. According to the National Weather Service office in Jackson, record flooding occurred on the Tug

Big Sandy is know far and wide for her rich and prolific coal beds, or seams, and numerous operations are now in progress mining this product to be shipped to citizens in a less fortunate portion of the country; where coal fields are unknown. Of the many mines that are

Throughout the Early Industrial Appalachian History, oil and natural gas has provided a lot of jobs and income over the last 45 years. The below pictures provide an answer to how they moved the spud drilling rigs throughout Eastern Kentucky including Pike County. Moving of these rigs were very labor

Big Andy’s Last Harvest.

The mother involved in this case is Lurena Ray.

Dorton Wildcats Seventh & Eight Graders Pike County Champions Virgie Eagles Jr. High Runners Up

Read from the pages of THE PIKEVILLE DAILY NEWS The Regionals Begin Meet the Fab 6 Pikeville panthers of 1952 Woodrow Preston Russell Porter Morris Stratton Lee King Ralph Gilliam Ernest Prater Pikeville Basketball Schedule 1951/1952

Bessie Arnold Riddle / Pike County Clerk Paschal Fields Service Station Halls Cash Store

Roland Landon Walker was born September 9, 1875 into the union of James M. ands Mary Jane Walker. 1890 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker 1891 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker 1894 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker Roland Landon Walker is shown in Pike County’s Annual Teachers Settlement

Read from the pages of THE PIKEVILLE DAILY NEWS The Regionals Begin Meet the Fab 6 Pikeville panthers of 1952 Woodrow Preston Russell Porter Morris Stratton Lee King Ralph Gilliam Ernest Prater Pikeville Basketball Schedule 1951/1952

This Birch Knob Trail runs from Elkhorn City to Pound Gap in Pike and Letcher County. Raven’s Nest Staircase Caves Tucker Gap Osborne Gap Part of the old County Road that crossed into Virginia. (above) Oxen shoes Grassy Gap Blowing Rock Gap The Ridgeline just above Poll Point, looking toward

Ratliff Tavern was located where the current Pikeville City Park is today.

As signs of division turned into warnings and obstinate attitudes increasingly found confrontation during the year before the Civil War, Kentuckians assumed the role of mediator with increasing frequency. Some have interpreted this as a continuation of the legacy of Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, but, to an equal or

Local Native American Habitation The Pike County Historical Society has recently been allowed from a local collector to photograph a local Native American collection. All items came from an area in and/or immediately adjacent to Pike County. The bead necklace has been restrung and the stone axe rehandled. The majority

Photo is courtesy of The Elkhorn City Heritage Council.

Church Minutes Ledger April 1879 September 1879 November 1879 December 1879 May 1880 June 1880 July 1880 September 1880

Joseph Bouney – S35,782 Service; Virginia Revolutionary Claim Act March 18, 1818 Kentucky Joseph Bouney of Floyd County in the state of Kentucky who was a private in the regiment commanded by Colonel Phebicker [Col. Christian Febiger] of the Virginia Line, for the term of __. Inscribed on the Roll

EASTERN KENTUCKY SALT WORKS Salt was a vital commodity in the Western Virginia Frontier long before Kentucky had became a State. Long Hunters and Early Settlers had the ability to preserve food in an era long before refrigeration ensured its high demand. As important as salt was in the Colonies

The following is a transcription of a journal from Lyman C. Draper to the Virginia Historical Register And Literary Companion: Volume V, Number II, in April of 1852. All Spellings and grammar are exactly as originally transcribed and were not altered. The expedition of the Virginians against the Shawanoe Indians,

SHELBYARD, PIKE COUNTY KENTUCKY

Dorton Wildcats Seventh & Eight Graders Pike County Champions Virgie Eagles Jr. High Runners Up

Who would ever know that 95 years later, this would be the future permanent location for most of the 2-lane section of U.S. 23 through Pike County?

Henry Ford’s Gift to the Miners of Stone Kentucky: Fordson Coal Company.

Introduction Fred T. May Biography At the request of officers of Pike County Historical Society, LLC, Fred T. May will provide a series of articles from his research on early Pike County records of general interest to the organization.  In 1983, Fred began research on his May ancestors in Eastern Kentucky.

An early traveler required taverns for overnight lodging, whether it was near the forest trail, up or down the Sandy River these taverns located in Pike County, and in the city of Pikeville, were always welcome pleasures. A place of safety and a place out of the cold. This was

Roland Landon Walker was born September 9, 1875 into the union of James M. ands Mary Jane Walker. 1890 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker 1891 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker 1894 Teachers Certificate of Roland Landon Walker Roland Landon Walker is shown in Pike County’s Annual Teachers Settlement

Click on image to enlarge. We recommend using “right click” to open in a new tab. Soon after Yellow Poplar Lumber Company’s first big test run of 6,000 logs, as seen in the photo above, a great number of timbers were left in the big boulders of The Breaks. Yellow

Camp Brownlow, Piketon, Kentucky 1862 The JSR Letters are from the collection of Josh Branham and transcribed by Josh Branham Letter 1 Camp Brownlow, KetuckySunday afternoon, February 9th [1862] Brother Enoch, Although I have not received any answer to my last letter, yet I attribute it to irregularity of the

The unique distinction of being the first white man to set foot on a part of America which is now known as Kentucky, had been claimed by many. It is a fact there have been almost as many so-call “discoverers” of Kentucky as there have been almost Kentuckian Historians. One

Compiled by Roscoe Neal Reed On February 7, 1922, at about 4:30 P.M. an explosion at the Marietta Mine at Ball Fork, Pinson Fork, Kentucky, took the lives of nine coal miners and seriously injured at least one other. The bodies of the dead men were found all huddled together.

General John B. Floyd’s 119 Unionist Prisoners Captured During the Raid of the Virginia State Line Up in the Big Sandy Valley in December of 1862 Sources and Works Consulted: The Richmond Daily Enquirer, Dec. 29, 1862. (Published between 1804 and 1877.) Typescript of a letter dated Aug. 7, 1863,

Thomas Walker Bio Thomas Walker, born January 25, 1715, was the third child and second son of Thomas Walker and Susan Peachy of King and Queen County Virginia. While Thomas Walker Jr. was still a young lad he lost his father and went to live with his sister, Mary Peachy,

BUILDERS SUPPLY COMPANY

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An early traveler required taverns for overnight lodging, whether it was near the forest trail, up or down the Sandy River these taverns located in Pike County, and in the city of Pikeville, were always welcome pleasures. A place of safety and a place out of the cold. This was

It was February 10, 1945.  Three friends from Jonancy were traveling north on old US 23 where the highway crosses Long Fork.  Palmer “Pell” Little was driving.  His passengers were Burl Osborne and Norman Linzy Hall.  Pell was the son of Dave and Cordelia Little.  Burl was the son of

Rogers Elkhorn Virgie Photos Virgie Photos Myra just above Virgie

Corrigan / McKinney Steel Company McKinney Steel Co Incorporated, Located on Marrowbone Creek. McKinney Steel Co Incorporated, Located on Marrowbone Creek.

Lower Elk Creek School House, June 4th, 1915

The Pike County Historical Society would like to invite everyone to comment on any person displayed below. January 29, 1942 March 5, 1942 April 9, 1942 April 23, 1942 May 14, 1942 May 21, 1942 May 28, 1942 June 4, 1942 June 3, 1943 June 10, 1943 July 10, 1943