I was born and raised in Stonega back in 57. It used to be very clean and well kept. Back in it's hay day there were 600 homes from the water fall to the the end of the holler. Most of the houses were built in 1896. A lot of history in that old coal camp. My dad and his dad and my moms dad and his dad and his 11 boys worked for Stonega Coke and Coal. There were four churches in that coal camp at one time. Thank y'all for doing this.

I was born in a hospital in Norton, Va . My grandfather was Buford Hampton. He worked in the Stonega Coal mine. He had to retire due to black lung and past away several years later in 1978. I use to sit in the window and watch my grandfather walk home out of the coal mine. Our house was so close to the coal mine. The train tracks was right in front of our house. I remember as a kid I would sit in the window and count the box cars filled with coal coming out of the coal mine. My mother and I moved to NJ in 1970 but we would go back to Stonega every year on the Greyhound and Trailways buses. This video bought back so many memories. Thank you.

I gasped too about the dog....😢. I am so glad he/she is ok. Whew....breathe..

Watching that video, I remember the smell of the burning slate dumps, the black dust on the roads, and missing my home.

Right! Those pain meds can get addictive. Never take unless you're real bad off.

Digging the old Coal Camp videos. Thanks for sharing, be well.

Beautiful country.

Many who left and went to cities are moving back to these places to raise their children. It's growing. My grandmother lived here.

Love the big houses. Very pretty little town. You were probably the highlight of that dog’s day waiting for a car to come by just so he could snip at it.

Here in Pennsylvania the villages and hamlets built by coal companies for the miners and their families are called "Patch Towns" or simply "patches." Coal camps, "Hollers," Patch Towns - same thing.

Came cross some scrip from lack superior coal company y in Matewant West Virginia that was cool find and cool to find out there was a lake superior West virginia

My Grandparents lived there. My grandfather started in the mines there.

Boardwalk...park place...sounds like a monopoly game!

You are doing some really great videos. I have spent a few nights in the old Wise Inn a few nights a very long time ago. !!!! : )))))

I had a college friend from Stonega. We drove there one weekend. Nice folks, nice place! I love crows and ravens. All ravens, crows, jays, magpies and such are corvids and they related.

Thanks for doing Stonega, my grandmother lived there for many many years. So many memories. My step grandpa worked for Stonega coke and coal

I love how you people from the south say, "Fire". 😊

Yall work great together and compliment one another perfectly

Awesome! Love yalls channel! God bless and much love from Alabama!

What a beautiful area. Thank you Shane and Melody.

As you were leaving Stonega you mentioned Appalachia 4 miles. My Grand Parents lived in the first house on the right in Appalachia. It's been torn down for years now. OBTW I attended first grade in the Appalachia Elementary School in 1960!. Thanks for the memories. I also watched the video about the town of Appalachia also.

@ws8592

8 ай бұрын

I was born in Pennington Gap and father worked at Stonega. We lived in Exeter where I attended the 1st grade in a drafty four room school house. 1st and 2nd grade classes shared a classroom. My teacher's last name was Cross (seriously). The school was closed and I attended Appalachia elementary for 2nd thru 4th grades. I might have seen you. The only teacher whose name I can remember in Appalachia Elementary was Mullins. We moved to Northern Va in 1963 when I was 10.

Enjoyed this ! Very informative and a beautiful area...thanks you 2 ...God bless y'all always...🙏❤️

It is a really beautiful place I use to play under the waterfall going into Stonega., I live in Big Stone Gap and this is so nice to see.

Some of those homes were really large! Nice video!

One of my ancestors worked in the Stonega mine after he left NC. I’m coming up this month to (hopefully) find more info.

Another exceptional video. It's so relaxing watching your videos. I love every one of them. Thanks again for taking us along. God bless you both. 🙏🙏

Good day to two good to see you guys.

Dopesick was filmed in Clifton Forge, Va

My wife and I are with Melody. If we had the money we’d fix all of the old houses up to their former glory.

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

That would be a dream come true!

Love these coal camp videos!

Love watching your channel! If you guys are in search of some cool places. Check out neffs, ohio and Cameron,wv lots of rich history. Also lots of other little coal towns hidden in these hills.

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

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much.

Hey Friends, Part of the Appalachia Mountains branch into PA. I am in Philadelphia and many families are returning to mostly the poconos area. Were are going to take a trip to Centralia soon. Thanks for all your vids.

@splithoof9567

Жыл бұрын

My mother’s family had a nice hunting lodge/cabin in the Poconos. I remember going there to visit many years ago. There was a very old (nice) lady named Abby (?) who lived near there. I remember that when we visited her place (she was my grandmother’s age), she was canning homegrown peaches. There was a pond across the road from the cabin.

I think a little paint would make most of those homes just fine to live in.

I wish the same thing all the time Melody! If I had the money, I'd just go around buying the old properties and restoring them to their former glory! Thanks for the video!

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

Isn’t that a dream? I imagine how they’d look and what I would do with them. Thank you!! - Melody

Hey guys, I actually work at the tipple there in Stonega which is known as pigeon creek. That dog that jumped out at you guys jumps out on me and my co workers every day and scares me every time lol. Just recently came across your videos and just wanted to say I’ve really enjoyed the commentary of the area. I love what I do, I load the trains from the loadout for a more specific idea of what I do there. When I’m not loading a train I’m helping at the wash plant. Coking coal just bought the property from inmet so I’m going n the process of changing companies at the moment but hopefully I will start resuming what I love to do. Thanks guys!

Talking about working on the railroad, I think it was my great-grandfather (my Dad's maternal grandfather) he worked on the mail train. But he died when my Dad was a baby. Right now I can think of one place in the pine barrens with the name "Pine" in it. It's the unincorporated community of Piney Hollow, over in Gloucester County.

I am from the Chicago area, but my dad and his family were from Stonega! They moved up North to follow the steel industry. Unfortunately, he passed a couple of years ago, so it's so nice to connect. My brother(32) and I(34) are going to visit to learn more and this is such a fun video! PS He ALWAYS talked about how his grandma's house was haunted!

Thank you so much for filming Stonega. My father grew up there and when the time comes he wants his remains put in Preachers Creek as he has many happy memories of Stonega when coal was booming. My great grandfather worked the coke yards there in Stonega until he died from black lung. My father said it was a wonderful place to live until coal busted and so many of our relatives were forced to leave for OH and IN. Anyway thanks so much for the effort and I personally appreciate you two so much

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! It means the world to us to hear this! Every place is someone’s hometown full of memories and that’s one thing we love the most! - Melody

This is the first time I have ever seen one of your video's, I was born and raised in Iaeger, McDowell County, West Virginia before spending a career in the Marine Corps. I retired from my last job with the government and moved back to my home state, not to my hometown, because all that is there is memories. Don't know if you have ever been to McDowell County, but it is the saddest county in the state of West Virginia. I lot of coal was taken out of these mountains and the money along with it. My hometown once had any and everything a person could want, we even had 3 grocery stores, now there are none. We had a grade, junior and high school, the county took all but the grade school out. What little business that is left for the town has been moved out along Route 52; and all but one or two businesses are left downtown, and all the other building are empty. One of my uncles owned or ran some coal mines in the county; my grandfather, dad, brother's and son-in-law worked for the N&W/NS Railway. Yes, there is a bad drug problem in the county, but there are a lot of proud people that lives there. So, if you ever get time take a drive on any of these routes in the county, 7, 8, 16, 52, 80, 103, and 161. Route 52 is the route going though from one county to the other and you will see a lot of the former coal towns that were once hopping with people. Yes, we have ATV's, I would not call that a business because they do not bring in the kind of money that is needed are this county! As for myself all they do is tear up our mountains along with mountain top removal! The mountain top removal has to reclaim the land, but what they plant is not what they removed, and those plants cause more harm than good, animals will not eat the berries from the plants, not even bears and turkeys. You drive back to some of these places, that is the ones not controlled my hunting clubs from out of state only to see a place in brush and weeds, they need to put the trees back and put a stop to these hunting clubs! These are our mountains, and we should be able to in them when and wherever we please! Sorry for going on and on.

The old photos of this area,,makes you realize this had to be a wonderful thing for people of this area,when these coal companies were starting to go full bore,,getting the opportunity to be in a new house and a steady income. Of course now,everyone looks down on these companies,saying they run the employees into the ground,but at that time,would bet the people that worked in these mines were darned glad to get the steady income. Everyone nowadays are too soft.

Thank you so much for this video. I have developed a deep appreciation in particular for Wise County over the years, not in small part to getting to know so many people down at The College at Wise, who are incredible people. The history and legacy of the folks in and around Wise would be wonderful for so many to learn.

You would think with these train wrecks spilling chemicals poisoning land and water during transport coal would start catching back on.. I know it's hard to mine but we can hope.. thanks for a great video

There's the railroad going through town and paralleling the road same as in the historic photos.

Great vid. How is it that you guys are so darn likable? Oh, I got it........south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

I’m from Stonega and lived there from my birth until August 2006 and again as an adult from May 2011 until November 2011. My mom was a Hylton before she married my dad. Some of my ancestors were some of the first settlers in the holler before it even had a name. There’s different names for the sections of the holler. If you need any additional information I’d be happy to give it to y’all! I still have several family members that live there.

Hi, if you're ever in the area of Route 20 heading into Quinwood check out some burned out and dilapidated homes there, many i am sure have been 'condemned' and obviously uninhabitable. There are also some seriously beautiful homes in places like Lewisburg, etc. that are in the million-dollar brackets. Last summer i took a quick drive through Lewisburg on a Sunday and saw some expensive cars like Bentleys, etc. I told my next door neighbor Quinwood is a 'low rent district'. When i get settled there i will take a few day trips around to view some mansions.

We Shane can’t write when is his “Coloring”book coming out?😂 Love your channel;keep up the great videos!

Amen on today's health system. It's a sham!

Thank you for producing these excellent videos. These places are thousands of miles from where I reside (near Malibu, California), and seem to be in a whole different world, of which I’d like to visit some day. I’m very curious about the coal industry, and supportive of the people who depend on coal to survive.

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! We’re so glad you enjoy our videos and that we can share our lives and culture! - Melody

Are semis allowed on these back roads? Seems that could b a problem.

@chubbawubba4287

Жыл бұрын

Not on most of them. Some yes but very few now. When they where running hard they used mostly rail and very little of dump trucks today some smaller dump trucks can operate on them but very few where an 18 wheeler can fit on.

@mimiwatching

Жыл бұрын

@@chubbawubba4287 thank you. I was hoping the answer would be no.

@jennifersterrifictupperwar4928

Жыл бұрын

Until just recently, about the last month or two, there were semi trucks full of coal coming through here all day every day.

Now those houses looked way to big for coal miners unless you drove down a line of ceo homes idk! Up here in the Iron camps a minor was lucky to get more then a 3 room shack up on blocks that were just basic no insulation and gaps in the side boards ! The only employees with a 2 story house with a foundation and insulation was the foreman ! Can you imagine being greatful to be allowed to live in one of them old houses when your down in the minds busting your Kester everyday then go home to a frozen drafty 4 room shack where your wife and kids are there eating supper on you? I wouldn't have that in me i swear!

@jennifersterrifictupperwar4928

Жыл бұрын

Those huge 2 story houses used to be duplexes. Most have been converted into big single family homes. The ones along the road as you’re coming into the holler are mostly a huge row of smaller houses. I wish I could have been here back in the day when that was a booming area.

Greeting from Switzerland Europe

@realappalachia

9 ай бұрын

Hi! Nice to have you!

EVERYTIME I drive my bus up there, that damn dog does that. I'm shocked he's still alive. He's scarier than a halloween prop lol 😅

That waterfall is probably good drinking water we used to get water out of the side of mountain back in West Virginia but I was good for drinking

At 13:28 is a big garage. I've seen ones liek that in other videos of yours. What's in them now and what were they for back n the day?

We went to that church for years. My Daddys hometown. My Mama was baptized there. Still have some family there. Mabe's is the last name. My maiden name.

The burned house with the cars outside is mine. No, we don’t live there. The fire is recent, happened February 3rd. We live in another house we purchased up the street on Park Pl. we are still in the process of cleaning out the old house, unfortunately it will need to be torn down. We moved here 2 years ago and I love these old houses. I was really hoping we’d be able to restore that old house one day, but the foundation was bad and once the fire happened, it is not salvageable. About a month after the fire, my family caught COVID and while were all sick someone broke into the house and stole a lot of our belongings. That broke my heart more than the fire did, because it was an intentional act. I’m still reeling from all the loss. 😞 OH, and that dog chases after every car that goes by. I’m shocked he’s never been hit. I jump every time he does it. I wish he was kept away from the street for his safety.

Cool shirts❤

👍👍👍

Those big houses used to be coal mine superintendent's homes and one was a hospital. Most of the other houses were built pretty much identically, except for the modern-day type of homes. My dad used to work for Westmoreland, also Derby which was part of Stonaga Coke and Coal. Also, his brother hauled coal to the loadout at Wentz.

Thank God no dogs were harmed in the making of this! (Although, an occasional cat doesn't bother me, lol) Anyway, as to the drug problem. I don't think it's an appalachia problem or due to hard work. I live near an area that once had a lot of industry, timber, paper, R.R., iron mining, a foundry etc. and I see this same scenario in many former industrial areas,......the industry goes away, pride, jobs and wealth goes with it. What's left in the vacuum is despair, poverty, rental properties (the list goes on) and state medical care coupled with an area with too much time on their hands, due to lack of jobs and responsibility. It's all the "tinder" needed for a drug problem. The whole green energy thing and fear that industry may pollute something is killing our country in more ways than just economically. It's nothing against green energy but it doesn't replace the amount of good blue collar jobs (which is the majority of people) that so many other industries provided. Personally, I'd rather take my chances on a little pollution and industry and have cheap, reliable energy and decent jobs than a country full of fresh air, poverty and drug problems.

Does Inman still exist. When you came down off of Black Mountain, the video ended. Trying to remember Inman also I think referred to as Sulphur Springs?

Consider doing a short video of what you use for equipment and editing. Thanks.

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

That’s a great idea, we will do that sometime on our second channel. Thank you.

houses look alot like those around Thorpe/Gary WV (13:28). I've not been much farther south than that though so maybe there are alot in that area like that.

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

A lot of the coal camp houses do favor! - Melody

Nice talk guys, but for better audio you guys may want to use lavalier (clip-on) mics or a shotgun mic...

It's nice back there and peaceful during summer, but the lack of everything in town is a big deal. Everything is really far away. No delivery far as food in emergency. No bus. Nothing for kids at all except a park which is far. They have no local school....smh. The people are really nice and helpful.

Hey melody where's board walk to park place

Aww, he's a boarder collie. You are just a bunch of sheep in the road. He is actually saying get back in the pen!😄

@realappalachia

Жыл бұрын

Oh that’s probably it 🤣 I love them. Great dogs! - Melody

good news, all those policies of the coal mines (company store) 100 years ago are coming back, but for us all. 15 minute city, larry fink-blackrock, many others.