Miner’s house at the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley.
The statue serves as a tribute to West Virginia coal miners at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston.
Log house and barn at the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley.
snaking along the New River and built a depot at Hinton’s location in the early 1870s. Trains opened the region to commerce and development, transporting incoming residents, lumber and coal as mining developed. This history comes to life at the Hinton Railroad Museum with displays of photos, train logs, and other memorabilia donated by area families of former railroad workers. The most notable exhibit is an extraordinary wooden railroad model and figurines display running the length of the museum. The lead figure, a strongman wielding two hammers, represents local legend John Henry who challenged his ability to dig tunnels through rock against the new steam drill. “The railroad was building a tunnel through themountain and wanted to introduce a steam drill for efficiency, which meant a lot of people would have probably been laid off,” explains Hinton tour guide Gayle Vest. “John Henry said I can do it faster and better than the steam drill.” With a 10-pound hammer in each hand, Henry was victorious, but with a sad twist. “He was able to drill a hole 14 feet in the same time the steam drill could only go nine feet,” continues Vest. “John Henry won the contest, but he died soon thereafter of exhaustion.” West of the National Park, the Exhibition Coal Mine in
Beckley offers a detailed look into West Virginia’s coal mining history. Pickaxes and other digging tools hang fromthewallsof thecentralmuseum, andvisitors can tour relocated 1920’s buildings from mining communities. A cramped, three-room house on the property was typical for miners’ families. The church with its varnished wooden floors and pews served the community not only for worship, but for social and business gatherings. The highlight of my visit, however, was the underground tour of an actual coal mine open from around 1890 to 1910. We boarded a tram that chugged amidst dimly lit chipped rock walls with wooden cross beams above us. “All the work in this mine was done by hand. There was never electricity in this mine when it was working,” says Don Barrett, a former miner who now leads tours. “Miners were expected to load 10 tons a day, paid 20 cents a ton. That was $2 a day. They used animals to pull the coal outside on wooden rails.” “Everything we owned came from the company store. That’s why they owned our souls in the company store,” Barrett laments of the hardships. “We were raised in a four-room house—eight kids, mom and dad in four rooms. My dad worked in the mine for over 50 years. I worked 23 years and that was enough for me.”
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COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2022
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