I own a piece of railroad track on the Rhea Straight. Photoplay, 'I Saved My Brother's Life,' by Helen Martin, p. 94, February 1967. the Ackley Hotel in Harlan until he retired and moved back to Cumberland. They dont say that because of my accent, since I only have one when I go back there. He tell the difference between bills by touch. Accents. My husband is a retired coal miner. Love love love Harlan County Kentucky and the people. Enjoyed the article. Of course you have to wash it all down with whole milk from Chappells Dairy! I wouldnt trade my life for anyone else. To the men that worked at the Highsplint mine, where the majority of filming took place for the documentary, he was the one responsible for making sure Basil and his men got through to work every day. If someone tells you that he or she is from Harlan, they could mean any town from Pathforkto Holmes Mill to Cumberland to Cranks. I have lived here all my life and even tho at times i feel like due to work i may have to leave, i doubt i ever could. Daughter has owned her own business in Harlan for thirty years. I once met a police officer who worked in the State Police in Harlan, he visibly tensed when I said I was from Harlan, went ashen when I said I was from Smith, and excused himself when I said I was a Middleton. associate director I dont know exactly when died, but it was sometime in the 1980s. Thanks. I left Ky in 1990 but go back very very often. I bet I heard them talking about you. Robertson County is the toughest to exclude. He was born April 13, 1930, in the town of Kickapoo, Vernon County, Wis., to James and Helen (Larson) Drake. Maybe they just didnt have much else to do. There are gun thugs in Harlan County, U.S.A., in particular a mean, squinty-eyed, jackal named Basil Collins, his pistol sticking out of his Dickies like a goofy cap gun. Janice Banks Premium. He was 45 (88) years old when He died. Born on. Why turn here, I ask? Your article is awesome! Still have family there. I have a heavy heavy accent. Pat your name seems familiar. While my friends and fellow graduates were leaving here, I was happy to stay in a place I loved. I have been gone for 40 years I still have my Harlan Co accent and the kids have lost their Eastern Ky accent. The hills and hollers made me who I am today and the people I love still call Eastern Kentucky home. Ishas Smiths 2nd cousin. I had him for a health class. Great article!! They point to the many fine folks in the county who were (and still are) horrified by the goings on at Eastover. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Oswego County Hospice, P.O. Obituaries. Nobody has ever even looked at me sideways up there; theyve always treated me well. Thats pretty cool. Im an outlander, living in Pulaski County. View most recent obituaries published on the Web by funeral homes for province of Nova Scotia. Pretty accurate for McCreary Co, as well. Required fields are marked *. LOUDOUN COUNTY OBITUARIES Emilia Ann Dawe. You are so right, except I dont know anyone named Lonzo. I REMEMBER govt. Vacation at Hilton Head, Tybee Island, Myrtle Beach, Hawaii, have an American Spirit Coachman that sleeps ten and a pontoon. I was raised in Wallins Creek and Cumberland by my Mamaw as a child. My life is very much divided into two partsbefore and after Harlan. We wore machine guns with semiautomatic carbines. It rated right up there with his song about Jim and Tammy Baker, pretty good actually. Ha, Ha. Ive got a few more Harlan County memories. Alfredia Miniard Kenney February 10, 2023 (91 years old) I grew up in Browning Acres, just down the street from both the hospital and Cawood High School. We currently have a lot of re-fencing to do, interested :). An obituary is a published or unpublished death announcement. My dad and papa were both coal miners for blue diamond mining for years. Cawood was named after James A. Cawood, long time Superintendent of the Harlan County Schools. I live here because I truly love this beautiful part of Kentucky and America. I live in Texas but will always be a Harlan Co Ky girl. You went up 119 to the Loyall turnoff, and youre absolutely right: Any Harlan Countian who turns the corner at Pineville changes languages! Once you push too far north, you get out of the mountains, and we have to exclude you. To add to my previous comment above, my other Grandfather was Elijah Depew (nicknamed Lidge? Harlan County, Kentucky: UMWA on a 13-month strike at Brookside mines and on the pick line at Highsplint mine. My great grandpa ran a mill there. U may or may not remember it and I also did alot of the fencing around the many many acres he and ur moms own. In fairness, many went to both joints. It is my hometown by choice.I love it, I retired from Ky Dept of Trans (engineering). Harlan County USAdivides us into two groups: Those that love it and those that hate it. 66, originally of Loudoun County, VA passed away January . It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 49th Academy Awards . I married a Lady, born and raised in Harlan. The Short area), my last name being Short There she met my father and I was born in 1952. The experiences never leave me about growing up poor and the shame and humiliation that I felt as a child. My grandfather was from Island Creek, and my grandmother was from Harold. Its quiet now. Spent many an evening in Tiny Joes!!!!!!! harlan community school district job openings; scottish reeling dresses; chanel miller boyfriend lucas; marilynn bradley horton; foreign education consultants in sri lanka. I dont think I have an accent but get me out of Pike County and they all say I do. Sally Simonton. Many never leave it. None of my schools still exist. Its boring. My Mom taught at SE Community College. Join us . When she made this movie, Kopple was one of the bravest filmmakers working. Congrats on a good job describing a little bit of what most folks cant imagine happened. In the summer a friends Dad (The Blantons) would take us up the river in his pickup and wed spend the day floating back in rafts in the summer or wed spend all day at the city pool. If you ever lived in Harlan you have been gone so long you dont know what the hell is going on. Town is flooded with people. People may had been living on Government cheese when you grew up and the first may had been like a amusement park, but all that has changed. Bad-ass wasnt the first word to come to mind, but I sure didnt want to mess with those folk! Robert Basil (Bob) Sydney, NS. Sweet. They had no desire to ever live anywhere else. heres the link: Interview Summary. I dont need tattoos, i have scars. We still miss it! Both my Grandfathers worked in the mines their younger years and I still have a 1st cousin working the mines. We had our own post office, City Hall and fire station. A friend of mine once drank a beer from a girls cowboy boot at the Lounge. We have live all over Eastern Ky, moved south to the Carolinas, then back to eastern Ky for a couple years. I left here when i was 15 came back in my late 20s. Parents moved to Dayton, OH in 63. Who are the Harlan Countians? I love your wifes Loll great story! But today, thanks to my daughter and another pool company, there are more privately owned pools at homes, per average, than in Fayette County (Lexington). I aint convinced about mccounty We live in McCreary Co now, so still SEKY. View Recent Obituaries for Bianchi Funeral Homes Evarts~Harlan~Loyall~Tri City. Whats up with that? I was in Wallins Creeks all day Saturday visiting my niece and stayed at my Mothers in Rhea. And of course, I mean that in a funny, I`m laughing kind of way. Ralph Osborne, Jr 58 of Bledsoe, KY passed away Tuesday evening of February 14, 2023 at his home. The government cheese, however, is real. We have accents which are obscured by our penchant for mumbling. In response to your statement about pretenders, I personally feel Im still a Harlan resident at heart even though I dont live there and dont visit very often. I was blessed to have been raised in the mountains. Do you remember the Chappells Dairy slogan? Even though I havent lived there in many years, I still visit. Anyway, I just had to leave a note. She was the daughter of the late Robert and Della Mae Hall Price. And should I know you? Look at my blog post Adventures in Hitchhiking, and youll see a story about JImmy picking me up hitchhiking one night. I am Wayne Middletons daughter. In Barbara Kopple 's 40-year career as one of America's . Bledsoe, so we limped, if you know what I mean Born in Leslie Co. and graduated James A Cawood in 81. Russell Swanson, 58 of Cawood, passed away on February 7, 2023 at Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital. It is good to hear from you and I hope to hear from you again. Nolan, age seventy-one, is a retired miner. Hell, it was the best cheese everthe only thing the Federal Government ever perfected! Rest assured that no one in my family considers me a disgrace or embarrassment, but your concern is noted. Youre probably thinking of Arthur Johnson. We once had a train full of nerve gas pass through Loyall. When I went to college, I befriended other Eastern Kentuckians. Everyone I knew (including my family) ate government cheesethe best cheese ever. Even though they know whats best for Harlan, we dont really like them. Cats and Harlan Countians have 9 lives. TO JIM CONNOR, jimmy c morgan lives in the big town of sawbriar, near wallins creek. Like you, I loved growing up there but couldnt see myself living there now. You probably know others of my family, like my sister Lisa, that worked at the Enterprise for years and now works for Corrections and lives in Georgetown; or my cousins that went to James A.Cawood, Ruth Ann and Gary Cox. If you read it carefully, youll note that I said I havent lived there in 30+ years. So, watch your step. I havent lived in Harlan in 30 year, but if someone asks where Im from, Harlan is the immediate response. Disability checks. If you live in Harlan, I cant say that I blame you. Oh, i think these shows are a joke, they couldnt do the truth,,, thank you, Lane. Im from a family of 12, but no inbreds here, but I do know cousins who married. Get directions Harlan is no more defined by any subculture than Chicago should be defined by its sad history of public housing or New York by the worst of its slums. I know you as a Harlan Countain and also as a fine person. I am an outlander from Bell County and so enjoyed reading this! Im actually kind of offended by your antics and false information. Thanks for the kind words. The school closed. We are our own world. We mourn with the family of Basil Collins for this great loss. This is where Norma lives, was the reply. Harlanthats what we call itisnt a destination, either. No complaining here though. Were originally from Letcher County and had to leave in 1995 due to the coal mines shutdown. Hi aurea, Ive helped ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over the hill from ur mom n dads house. I got cussed up and down over it! My dad spent much of childhood there in the 30s. Thanks for the kind comments. Harlan County was fighting for the right to have a union. Your mother was my teacher at Hall High for four years. She retired in 1982. Brought back some memories. My parents who were also my papaw and mamaw owned Tiny Jos market in Baxter. Harlan, KY Mt Pleasant Funeral Home Inc Add Photos 1 Memory Ruby Margaret Smith Ruby Margaret "Lucy" Widner Smith, 70, of Essie passed away Monday, February, 20, 2023, at her residence. These folks are Harlan Countians, but they dont like it. I know exactly where you were driving. Great story and oh so true, every word of it. Bertha was proceeded in death by her mother Eveda Williams and her father George Adams She is survived by her husband Danny D Little, her children Christopher Shawn Little, Rosalie Peral Brown, Chadwick Darrel Little, and Aaron Daniel Little. My grandad lived and mined Stone Ky, in Pike County. Besides the accident of birth, we have certain commonalities: Harlan Countians can be found everywhere. Happy to be an Outlander! Lots of memories from Harlan. Its bleak. I made the mistake of posting a picture of Basil on a Harlan County Facebook page. Have a cousin who lives in Evarts and cousins in middle KY. Were hemmed in. The previous mentioned Clarence E. Leonard is my Uncle. Well.. I loved it AFTER the mob left that came to my door the day I moved in, demanding to know Who are you and what are you doing here? I wonder if youre related to Clarence Leonard who lived near Evarts. My Dad used to talk about when they distributed commodity margarine. Basil was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid, so I know he was real. I was raised on Rhea straight, where the old airport was. Basil was born January 18, 1930, in Montevideo, Minnesota, the third of five. I first saw the light of day in Oneida, tn because that was the closest hospital & the road l.P. looPwas better U take car cuz. I have been gone from Harlan now for 40 years, One thing I will say is you are accurate in your writings of Harlan. Used to go to Cumblin every Fride and satdy nite. Thanks for reminding me of a great memory of my mother! Her movie career is noted for several horror cult films in which she . If youre spending the night in Harlan, you probably have family there anyway. I am doing a genealogy study on the Leonards, McKendricks and Boteler families who lived at one time in Harlan County and some that still do. . Awesome story. Finally I tried talking like a city slicker but I was too Eastern Kentucky that way. I got away. I also would talk to Art at the store in Loyall, where I would stop to get gas. Gillis Heather Elaine. As usual John you nailed it!! Elliott County. why dont u come back?i know why ,because it is to political and if your not a doctor or a lawyer or have plenty of money ,you aint shit yeah the mountains are nice and this is a beautiful place, but if you aint in the click you aint shit and thats the way it really is you just like the bloody harlan shit and it makes you look BADASS to tell people your from here .your a joke dude and quit livin off a place that you evidentally really no nothin about ..post this DUMBASS . Raised with his brother Dale and cousins. 6. January 7, 2009 Harlan R. Collins, 89, of Fulton, died Wednesday at his home following a long illness. My Aunt Pauline is 95 now and still lives there. I knew a bunch of Napiers (Napper). A full obituary will follow in The Daily Star. Overall, we like the stereotypical portrayal of Harlan. March 9, 1997. They might have gone to college or joined the military. I was mostly raised In Floyd Co. KY & did live in Grundy , Va. at one time. Oh the cheese made the best grilled cheese, My wife from Ohio and my 2 children even loved it. One side was a roller rink. Harlan is not what it used to be and I would never want to live there again, but your blog awakened the beautiful memory of what it was. Clarence had one brother Howard P. Leonard and Howard P and his wife Lucille had a son named Clarence Edwin Leonard. Outlander here Born at HARH, raised in Grays Knob- attended Hall Elementary and Junior High, JACHS and then got out to attend UK. Others leave to find better opportunities. Before Justified, many people got their image of Harlan from the award-winning documentary Harlan County USAwhich followed the Eastover coal mine strike at Brookside, Kentucky. Most of us pass through this phase at some point. Really enjoyed the article. Phone: (828) 649-9163. There are doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, coaches, laborers, deadbeats and criminals. My maternal grandparents grew up in Black Star coal camp and Papaw taught at Hall High. Katherine Lynn Caldwell February 24, 2023 (51 years old) View obituary. I have resided in Knoxville, TN for 26 years but Eastern Kentucky will always be home because that is where my extended family and my husbands extended family continue to reside. It was the latest violent incident in Harlan County, long a scene of labor unrest. Bianchi Funeral Homes, Inc. Evarts ~ Harlan ~ Loyall ~ Tri City. They know whats best for Harlan, though, and wont hesitate to tell you. BTW until barrack obama declared war on our coal mines,a fact, there were more millionaires in Harlan, Pike,Perry Counties, per capita than in our largest cities. I was born, raised and still live in Pike County. I called some place the other day, got an automated machine.your name, address, (Im sorryI didnt get that could you repeat that again. The wrong side of the tracks to the town school crowd of the 1960s. View All Funeral Homes in. I live in the city now, and raised my daughters here. I was born and raised in Sunshine. We have exchanged information over the years. Rarely is an Eastern Kentucky county a destination. LOL! McCreary just has that Eastern Kentucky feel to it. I have a 94 year old aunt who still lives there. Youve made me think about Harlan all day today and its been a good day. Glover Allan (Al) Amherst, NS. We lived in Yancey when I was born, moved to Brookside, then moved to Evarts (Woods Mine Area) before moving to Walker County, AL. I am a brand new grandma and I am Mamaw to that beautiful baby. U and I are related. Getting Started | Contributor Zone Contribute to This Page Edit page Clear your history Allegedly once Collins was released at wars end he cut off the head of his prison guard with the guards own sword. Thanks for your comments. Again, they are excluded because of lack of isolation. You can see it in Google Street Views here: https://goo.gl/maps/QoyKa, Hey my cousin owned the fuzzy duck my papa had a poker house there and boot legged beer iwas raised in the first house coming down black mountain love it go back all the time, Right before you get to lynch golf course coming down black mtn there was a house to the right my great great grand pa had a saw mill there and built the house where my great grand pa lived then my mama got it love it there if I ever hit the lottery ill be back to live and put alot of people to work I love the mtns go there every christmas and summers thanks for the memories cool blog sorry for the grammer lol periods commas all the same to me it. I went to college and had personal and professional opportunities that pulled me away. I was just in Harlan County this weekend. I am an outlander. Read my post about growing up in Loyall sometime. Eastern Kentucky isnt for everybody, it isnt even for a lot of the people who live here their whole life. I have to admit that I enjoy the irony of a sentence like Your ignorant., Its like the guy who commented that Im a fuckin mooron.. My little brother had a knife pulled on him at Cawood. Im sorry but I dont think so. Second, my parents lived in Harlan County their entire lives, as have aunts, uncles, cousins and many of my closest friends. I was born and raised in Harlan County and we moved to Alabama in 1952 when I was 12 years old. I have no information on a Clarence Leonard in our family tree. No one from Harlan . The field is backdropped by some beautiful mountains, right at Tunnel Hill. I was born in Pineville, Ky but grew up in Pathfork. Also as a child there was a Ski Lodge and slopes on Black Mountain. He had a lot of money. My roots and my heart are there and for me thats important. Advertisement. Obituaries; Photos; Podcasts; Scene; I-64 runs through Montgomery, Bath, Rowan and Carter Counties. Just discovered your blog. Madison Funeral Services. I love being from there. Loved reading your blog and reminiscingI was raised in Harlan County both parents having been from there. The Fuzzy Duck, the Corner and the VFW. Many people watch the FX series Justified. Havent lived there since the late 70s, but Harlan is always home. Daughter of a preacher. Ronald Peters. Very proud of my heritage. Never making any differences in us. It will always be home to me. Our teeth arent all that bad, although mine arent great. It is true that you can take the boy out of the mountains but never the mountain out of the boy. I dont know. I never got a straight story from my parents and possibly they didnt know why or what happened. The only tv stations the antenna could pick up were out of knoxville I raised my daughter hereBTW she has owned a successful swimming pool and fence company here for 35 yrs. Im from Loyall. Again I will say Harlan is a great place to be from but I would not want to live there today. To her credit this pretty city girl took these inconveniences in her stride and made this mountain man a very good wife. When I started reading this blog I thought well this is alright, but as I continued I came to realize that you dont know what the hell your talking about. The other side was the Lounge, a long, narrow open room with a dance floor. She talks about taking care of her father through his health issues while also participating in the Brookside strike. And they didnt. I plan to continue reading your blog. I lived in Harlan for many years just ended up there one day and loved it and stayed I was not born or raised there just lived Place is wonderfull Im 25 so I would love to go back I call it home I feel home there I moved bout a year ago to Indiana. That brings back fond memories. He worked at Eastover for several years after the strike until Duke closed the mines. NOTE TO SELF: Dont move to Ages,Ky,Home of Brookside Mine, during a strike. Guy Enos Bobby T. Jessie W. Finis Marvin W. Burley . She is survived by her sons, Nicholas George Ingemi Matthews and Eugene Christopher Hanc. Most OUTSIDE THE COUNTY shopping, doctors visits, etc were in Tennessee They often do not contain the death . I graduated in 71 from JACHS. A man that loved (She died in 1995, and I am so glad to have such good and often funny memories of her.) Thank you. Thanks for the reads I have read most of your blogs. It was a thriving community in the 60s-70s. I still call Harlan home, and as our family decreases, we return to our home to rest in Resthaven until we are all reunited in the hereafter. | Coal Troll's Blog, I stumbled across your blog and enjoyed much. I remember commodity butter. I feel the same way, even though my sons say they cant believe I grew up there! So please you out landing, loathing spectator, Keep your thoughts on the area you live in now, and the goings on there, we dont need or want you perspective of the people that actually live, work and die here. The vast majority of Harlan Countians are proud to be from Harlan. Theirs will be more like trips to Kings Island, etc. Harlan is mean. He was actually the son of my aunts husband, so that technically makes him a cousin, but age-wise he was more of my dads generation so that made him an uncle. What year, and how did he die (or is he still alive)? Genealogy profile for Basil M. Collins Genealogy for Basil M. Collins (1908 - 1979) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. People gathered at the railroad tracks to watch it. You hit home with many of your comments being born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, Sandy Hook, Elliott County to be exact. I told him apparently his computer didt speak Hillbilly.I am proud of my head of the holler rasin. They just hang around and complain. My Mom graduated from Cumberland High School. I was born in Atlanta and moved here when my step-daddy (forevermore referred to as daddy) and my momma met when he was proudly serving this country.He a handsome young man from the mountainsshe a beautiful divorced young woman with two small children. I knew the Clarks well. Nothing came easy for Dad but he never complained. Plaster would fall from the ceiling and you could throw popcorn on the stage in front of the screen and watch the rats scurry out to eat. We were driving down the road from Pineville toward Harlan and I was looking for the turn off to get to sister Normas place. My friends still tell me you can take the girl out of Eastern Kentucky, but you cant take the Eastern Kentucky out of the girl. The county is big, about 50 miles across, but sparsely populated. She was a great homemaker and was full of wit, wisdom and love. I am definitely proud of my heritage, both generally mountain/Appalachian and Harlan County in particular. of life I have lived in Chicago, IL., Ypsilanti, MI., Charleston, W. Va., so I know all to well about the differences of living in Eastern KY & a big city. Loved your blog and thought it to be an accurate description. I believe they graduated for there on 83. I was born and raised in Harlan County, from Jones Creek, graduated from Evarts High. As for accent and all that, I never noticed having any problems understanding anything anybody said, strange utterances, etc.