Greenbrier Valley History

My grandparents have owned a lake cottage in Piedmont, Ohio since before I was born. Ever since I was baby I have traveled the one and a half hour drive to our cottage. As I grew older, I took in the scenery and the little towns along the way. One sleepy little farm town in particular we drive through, seventeen minutes away from the lake, is called Cadiz; also known as the town that hosts the Hopedale Mining Coal Company. Yet, I never even knew until eighteen years later that a coal mining operation is stationed there.

When asked to think of coal mining, what comes to mind? A mountain with a hole cut into the side of it with a set of railroad tracks disappearing into it? Maybe an old mine car or two full of some rocks or coal, with a pickaxe and shovel leaning against it. A few guys with hard hats covered in a black powder coming walking out of the mine pushing a car or two full of coal. The technology has advanced but the process is basically still the same as well as the outcome. Coal is retrieved from underground and taken to factories to be burnt to create electricity or to fuel the steel mills.

The process to mine the coal is quite complex. First, surveyors are called on site to document the layout of the land so that in can be restored to

By 1919, the largest nonunionized coal region in the United States was Mingo and Logan counties in West Virginia. In September 1919, rumors of miners being harassed and beaten for attending labor meetings reached Charleston. Around 5,000 miners met at Marmet, near Lens Creek, they prepared to go to Logan County. Since Governor John Cornwell was aware of the danger, he went to Marmet to convince the miners to go home. Almost all of the miners went home.

In the early 20th Century, West Virginia was a place where coal barons held immense power. Coal companies owned towns, mayors and governors. Miners were forced to live on coal camps and rent houses from them, as well as purchase all of their coal and other items required to survive from the companies. With this control, mining families where forced to live and work in brutal conditions. In 1921, after a generation of violent suppression, miners erupted in the largest class war in US history. For 5 days miners fought the coal barons, over 1 million rounds of ammunition were fired, this is known as the Battle of Blair Mountain.

West Virginia is known as the "mountain state." It consists of many beautiful lakes, rivers, streams, and quite a few tourist attractions, such as Babcock. Not only that, but West Virginia is made up of several different biomes. West Virginia is also made up of forests, as well.

estled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Allegheny Mountains, Rockingham County is located within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Originally founded in 1778, Rockingham County has become a historical community committed to implementing an economic strategy of attracting new business and industry that are compatible with the way of life in the Shenandoah Valley and assisting in the retention and expansion of existing companies (Rockingham County). Most commonly known for its beauty, Rockingham County is comprised of six metropolitan cities, of which Harrisonburg holds the county seat (Rockingham County).

The coal mining history of Buffalo Creek can be traced back all the way to 1940s. At that time, Lorado Coal Mining Company opened Mine No.5 at the almost the top of the Buffalo hallow. The dumping of sludge from this mine was happening at the mouth of the middle fork. It functioned just like a dam and was viewed like one

The discovery of “Fools Gold” is what led to the enriched and powerful development of the mining company. A Baltimore native John Detrick managed to hike along the Quantico Creek and discovered something shiny in the water which just so happened to be pyrite, also known as Iron Sulfide. With this discovery there came three shafts that lived pyrite. The Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine was the only pyrite mine in the area and really helped out the locals by boosting the economy and providing jobs for farmers who worked as laborers for the mine and then went home to tend to their farm after working. The company was such a big success that by 1917, Virginia produced more pyrite than any other state and continued to provide profitable income to families and businesses located in the area. This would be Batestown and Hickory Ridge at the time in history. With a booming economy, the mining company was able to rake in even more of a profit when World War I struck due to the fact that it was able to produce gunpowder during the mid-nineteenth century. The Cabin Branch Mining Company not only produced an income for the locals by pyrite carrying the main ingredient sulfur that was necessary to produce products like gunpowder, bleach, textiles, soap, medicine, etc. but it also contributed to the remarkable advantages the park would make with its preservation of the mine

("Valley Forge is a famous camp during the American revolution Valley forge"). But it wasn't that great the camp was very short supplied of the common needs of the soldiers blankets, clothes, food,ammo. During the first winter in valley forge about 2,000 soldiers died because lack of food and clothing. ("Wale the soldier were in valley forge they weren't allowed to leave they were banished from Virginia valley forge"). So the wife's of those soldier set up a plan to persuade George Washington with a nice dinner to ask of him to allow there husbands to come home and see there family's. ("Wale news traveled slow John Roberts, and mrs. Drinker and her companions proceeded to the making of the Americans first picket post on the out skirts of valley forge"). Even lack of supplies at valley forge they probably had enough supplies to make and eat some cookies.

Burns, Shirley Stewart. Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal Surface Coal Mining on Southern West Virginia Communities, 1970-2004. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2007. Print.

Coalwood, West Virginia was originally built as a mining town due to the large amounts of coal beneath the surface. From the beginning, this company town thrived under the belief that the town was for the mine. Without the mine, the town would cease to exist as the mine provided each family, with a working man, a house. No mine, no job, no house, and consequently, no town.

Valley forge was a campsite during the civil war. Its was a rough time for the soldiers lots of people died. In December 1777 - 1778 the american soldier took camp in Valley Forge. (Doc A)They weren't ready for what was about going to happen . The winter there was horrible they didn't have clothes for the cold and were running out of supplies. By Descender 1777 12000 solder were at the camp by december 23, 2,898 solder were sick. By june 1,800 to 2,500 soldiers died . (DocA ). In (DocB) Valley Forge was nice and peaceful but it's wasn't there running low in supplies and people were dieing because it was to cold . George Washington took this time to train this solders that weren't sick or already died .

Store Information/History: Gator Town is a school store located within River Bluff High School's Learning Commons at 320 Corley Mill Rd, Lexington, South Carolina. Founded in 2013, Gator Store is a 384 square feet store that carries a wide variety of candy, snacks, drinks, apparels, and accessories. The types of snacks, drinks and candies the store carries are almond bars, chips, water, Cherry Coke, and the most popular, Sour Patch Kids candy. Some examples of apparels and accessories the Gator Town carries are hats, tee shirts, earphones and hoodies. Store prices range anywhere from $0.25 to $55.00. TJ Watkins is the supervisor of Gator Town. Gator Town is run by River Bluff's students who are motivated to make a difference in their own school.

The National Coal Mining Museum is based at the site of Caphouse Colliery in Overton; once a fully functioning mine. The museum has an area, 140 meters underground, which has been adapted to demonstration the development and revolution in mining techniques through out the ages. It presents mining techniques from the early 19th century all the way through to the present day. The museum also houses an array of mining machinery and vehicles that has been conserved since its use, which are kept in a gallery above ground. Such machinery includes locomotives, BJD coal cutters, and a seventeen-tonne Dosco Roadheader that was used to cut roadways underground. (National Coal Mining Museum, 2014)