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Figure 3.6 Photo of Merrimac miner’s house (feature number 29). Courtesy of Fred Lawson. The second coal miner’s house that could serve as a model is one from the Coal Bank Hollow section of Montgomery County. This house was still standing until 1996, when the Coal Mining Heritage Association saved it from being burnt down by having it dismantled and stored. The house is described below by Hazel Hodge. She grew up in this house and gives a very clear description. Again, this information could be used in replicating a miner’s house for the Coal Mining Heritage Park.
The best location for a replicated miners house at Merrimac would be next to the Huckleberry Trail, near where the commissary once stood. (See the map of the park conceptual plan in Chapter 2.) We believe this is a good location for three reasons. One important reason is its accessibility by being located right on the Huckleberry Trail. As trail users passing through the park, this would provide an interesting stopping point, or a destination in and of itself. The second reason is security, since this is an open and visible area through which trail users frequently pass. A third reason, is that it provides a heritage feature at the west end of the park, something to balance with the Bunker Hill area on the east end and the Tipple Area in the middle of the park. Visitors and trail users can be drawn along the full length of the Huckleberry Trail within the park boundaries, learning about the mining heritage along the way. Many people have also suggested designing a garden next to the house. In the mining village nearly everyone had a garden plot where they grew their own fruits and vegetables. Gardening was an important part of their culture. Esther Jones, who tended to her garden at Wake Forest describes gardening. We grew tomatoes, beans, onions, peppers, corn, peas, carrots, and any vegetable you can think of. We used a horse and plow. We would plow it and then had to brake up the clots. We also had grapes, peaches, plums, cherries, and apples. People would come by and we would sell it to them. We canned about 200 jars a year ( Jones 11/15/99). STRUCTURES SURROUNDING THE HOUSE Esther Jones also listed other structures that surrounded the house. These include: - smokehouse - woodhouse - corn crib - outhouse - coal house - shed - barn Perhaps one or two of these structures such as the smoke house and an outhouse could be made next to the garden. After all, many of these things were utilized by a miner and his family and would help to portray their lives. In regards to the house itself, another possibility is that we furnish the inside. Then, visitors would be able to see what a coal miner’s house contained and understand what it was like to live in the mines. Several members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association are willing to donate items to furnish a house. Here is a list of a few of the things the Association has to offer. - wood stove - old-timey kitchen cabinets - curtains - place cloths and place settings - quilts - chairs - dishes - washtub - sheets - sewing table and machine - washboards - iron - canning funnel - mason jars to store fruits and vegetables - potato masher - eggbeater - dinner bell - butter printer and paddle - strainer and crock - dresses and aprons
Figures 3.8 and 3.9 are two photographs of the inside of a coal miner’s house that were taken at the Coal Miners Exhibition in Beckley, West Virginia. This gives you an idea of what a furnished coal miner’s house looks like. The woman pictured in Figure 3.9 was a coal miner’s wife and serves as a guide inside the house. Many women who are members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association such as Esther Jones or Hazel Hodge, just to name a few, would be happy to do this. Besides educating the public on coal mining, a volunteer inside would help to monitor and protect the building.
Figure 3.8 The furnished inside of a miner’s house, Exhibition
Coal Mine,
Figure 3.9 The furnished inside of a miner’s house, Exhibition
Coal Mine,
After a coal miner’s house is built and the park is underway we recommend creating a combined Museum and Visitors Center. A mining museum would provide an excellent way to educate the public about coal mining heritage. Several members of the community and Coal Mining Heritage Association have expressed an interest in a museum. The building of a mining museum at the park would provide an excellent center of activity for preserving an important part of the New River Valley’s heritage. We recommend that this be undertaken as a joint venture between the county and the mining heritage association. Other groups, including schools, universities, churches, and other regional history associations might also be drawn into a partnership to build and maintain activities at the museum. A museum would serve the county as a wonderful heritage preservation and heritage educational facility, as well as provide a focal point for the park in the form of a visitors center. The museum could house artifacts, photos, videos, tapes, and books. Museum activities could include exhibits, interpretive living history events, and educational outreach programs. Elementary and high school teachers could bring their classes, and visitors could learn about coal mining and its importance to this region of Virginia. The community and students are interested in learning about coal mining. Several miners have visited local schools to share information on coal mining with students and received excellent feedback. Mrs. Wheeler who teaches a fourth grade class at Kipps Elementary says, "Our children live in the area and coal mining is an important part of their heritage. Standards of Learning (SOL) requires us to teach about products of southwest Virginia which includes coal mining. When the coal miners visit they tell delightful stories and give kids a chance to learn how to do things hands on with some of their tools. It would be wonderful to have a museum where things were permanently displayed. That would be a field trip for us." Many other teachers have similar feelings about educating their students on coal mining and incorporating it into their curriculum. The principal of Price's Fork Elementary, Dolly Cottrill, also comments that with a museum, "The children will learn to respect the past lifeways of their parents and great grandparents." Currently the children at Price's Fork Elementary visit the Coal Mining Exhibition in Beckley, West Virginia. Beth McDonald, a teacher at Price's Fork Elementary School would like the field trip to hit closer to home. She says, "There isn't any reason why the children shouldn't visit a local coal mine. They learn about the local coal mining business yet they have to travel to West Virginia to experience it in real life." Many others feel that having a heritage coal mining museum in the area would be a wonderful resource. Several members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association who worked or lived in the mines visit schools to teach children about coal mining. Fred Lawson who has presented at several schools says, "Kids are very curious about the process of mining and tools used. They ask a lot of inquisitive questions. Then, after we leave they usually send us thank you cards with their individual interests and sometimes drawings of the coal mines, the way they see them." Dana Acres who has presented at the Roanoke Transportation Museum, Roanoke Art Museum, and Explore Park Symposiums has gotten similar responses from her audiences. Children and groups of all ages are interested in hearing her stories, which surround real events, adventures, and tragedies, that occurred growing up, and living in the mines. She has been invited to appear before many groups and has gotten great support for her efforts. She believes, like others, that there should be a coal miner’s museum where information can be permanently displayed. After all, she says, "the oral tradition and legends on coal mining which have been passed down from one generation to the next will not last forever and they should be stored in a museum or place where they cannot be forgotten." The best place to locate the museum is at the entrance to the park beside the parking lot. There are several reasons for this location. One is that people may be visiting the park only to see the museum, and in order to reduce traffic in other parts of the park it should be situated at the entrance. Secondly, several visitors may include small children or handicapped visitors who are not be able to travel far to get to the museum. For their convenience and safety this would be the best location. Last and most importantly, keeping the museum at the entrance, in a visible and public area, reduces the risk of vandalism. To further reduce the risk of vandalism a security system should be considered. A security system could cost up to $4,800 dollars, however the cost of rebuilding a museum and replacing all the information lost is far more expensive. Many people are only willing to donate items to the museum if they know the building will be secure. Members of the community and Coal Mining Heritage Association are willing to help support a museum. Several miners have expressed an interest in staffing the museum themselves. What a wonderful resource it would be to have miners sharing their information and stories on coal mining with the public. Visitors would be able to learn about coal mining, first hand, from those who have experienced it. As far as what to put inside the museum, many former coal miners and members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association have enough things to fill five museums or more. If such a museum were to be built by the county in association with the Coal Mining Heritage Association, they would willingly contribute pictures, maps, clothing, tools, household items, and much more. They would be proud to see items of their heritage displayed. We took an inventory of these items. Ideas for exhibits were generated from members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association, input from local teachers and schools, as well as observation of exhibits at the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, West Virginia and exhibits at the Roanoke Museum of Transportation for its 1999 annual Coal Miner’s Day (set up in conjunction with the Coal Mining Heritage Association). Below, we have listed a number of potential exhibits for a museum at the Coal Mining Heritage Park. A miner worked with various tools inside the mine. Many of these tools should be displayed. Below is a list of many of these tools along with photographs. Mining pick- a pointed metal tool used to loosen coal Augurs- a drill used to design holes for loading dynamite Breastplate- metal that attached to the augur and provided pressure while drilling into the mine seam Tamping Bar- long metal bar; one end was first used to clean debris from fuse and then the other notched end was used to load dynamite Dynamite and exploders-inserted into the mine wall to loosen coal Powder Bag- leather bag that carried dynamite and exploders
Figure 3.10 Tools in a case at Coal Mining Exhibition Mine in Beckley, West Virginia.
Figure 3.11 Powder bag with dynamite and exploders. Photo courtesy of Fred Lawson. A manikin could be displayed in miner's gear. In Figure 3.12, a manikin miner is wearing jean overalls, a jacket, high top shoes, a safety hat with a light, and a battery attached around a belt at the waist. He is holding a lunch pail and is standing in a pile of coal (field notes at Roanoke Museum of Transportation 11/6/99)
Figure 3.12 Manikin wearing a miner’s clothing, Roanoke Museum of Transportation. Other important tools that deserve their own display are lights. A miner used carbide and later electrical lights to light his workspace. Carbide lights- light produced from carbide gas that fit on a safety hat Carbide flask- metal canteen miner carried carbide in Carbide cans- commercial package carbide fluid was sold in Electrical lights-replaced carbide lights in early 1900’s, fit on the safety hat and charged from a battery. Belt- carried battery attached to electrical light Safety hat- hard hat that protected a miner from rock falls and held a carbide or electrical light Kerosene light- light created with a rag and kerosene in a bottle, only used in particular tunnel mines
Figure 3.13 Safety lights. Photo courtesy of Fred Lawson.
The air within the mines was constantly checked for increasing levels of methane gas that could lead to a fire or explosion. A few important tools helped to maintain safety. Air Gauge- metal speedometer that fire boss used to measure air pressure and check air flow within mines Safety lamp- gas fueled metal lamp used to detect methane in the mines, if the light flickered or went out methane was present Rescue Kit- plastic face nozzle attached to an oxygen tank that a miner could use in the event that he was trapped in the mines. Could last him up to 30 minutes.
Figure 3.14 Safety gear. Photo courtesy of Fred Lawson.
Several other items were used by a miner but were not directly related to the process of mining. However, these things were a necessity to miners. Lunch Pail- metal bucket with 3 components: first for a sandwich, second for a desert, and third held a quart of water to sustain a miner for several hours in the event that he was trapped in the mine. Wash Tub- metal bucket used to hold water and wash with in the washhouse following a day of work in the mine Scrip- a form of currency at the mines that came in the form of paper or coins and could only be spent at the company store. Some script was equivalent to dollars and cents while others were more specific in value and could be exchanged for items such as dynamite, tools, or coal. Women and children who lived at the mines also participated in a number of activities. In order to understand their role and life at the coal mines many people have suggested featuring a display with a few of the household items Washboard- wooden board used to scrub clothes Sewing machine or treadle-used to make clothing and bedding Iron- metal heated on a wood stove to straighten clothing Curtains, table setting, sheets, and quilts- colorful, sometimes made from empty cotton feed sacks Dresses and bonnets- also made from feed sacks Strainer and crock- fine screen and porcelain container that milk was strained and then stored in Butter printer and paddle-wooden implements used to make butter Canning funnel and mason jars-used to store vegetables and fruits from the garden Potato masher and egg beater- metal; old-fashioned kitchen tools
Figure 3.15 Household items on a quilt. Photo courtesy of Esther Jones.
Figure 3.16 Washboard, Roanoke Museum of Transportation
There are also numerous photo collections in the possession of Fred Lawson, Kenneth McCoy, Jimmy Price and many other miners, as well as located in the Special Collections at the Virginia Tech Library. Photos display workers lined up to enter the mine, workers constructing the tipple, the mine supervisors, and miners and family members together. These photographs could all be displayed on the walls of the museum, providing an informative visual depiction of the mining way of life. After all, have you ever heard the saying "each picture speaks a thousand words?" There are two great videos that illustrate mining life in the New River Valley. One is "Hard Times and Rich Memories," a film produced by Robert Freis, Jimmy Price, and Shawna Scott. The film documents peoples’ memories of the mining life using numerous excerpts from videotaped oral history interviews. It covers the history, working conditions, family life, and some of the tragedies that occurred in the New River Valley mines. The second video was produced by Dudley Scott, a former fire boss for one of the New River Valley mines. This video also explores some of the hardships of life at the mines, with numerous interviews and photographs. Each video is an hour long. A room in the museum could be designated to showing videos, providing a dynamic look into mining life to complement the exhibits on display. A MINING HERITAGE ARCHIVE FOR BOOKS, DOCUMENTATION, AND ORAL HISTORIES The Coal Mining Heritage Association is concerned that documentation about the region’s mines needs to be collected and preserved for heritage education. One room in the museum could function as an archive, housing books, historical documentation on the region’s mines and mining life, and oral history collections. Mining families have a wealth of photos and personal records which would be valuable for helping us document the region’s mining heritage, but the families want to be assured that their records will be housed in a safe location and be accessible for educational learning. The Coal Mining Heritage Association does not currently have a place to house such a collection. In addition to providing a central visitors center focus for the park, a museum at Montgomery County’s Coal Mining Heritage Park would be a logical place to establish a regional coal mining archive. Children’s CornerA number of people at our community meetings recommended having a small children's corner in the museum where workshops and games for kids could be set-up. Some of these games would help to teach the children in an exciting way. For example a train set and miniature mining structures could be displayed like they are below in Figure 3.17.
Figure 3.17 Miniature train and mining structures, set up at
the Stories about coal mining could be played by cassette. At several museums this method has worked with headphones or an intercom. Picture books should also be available. Children can then page through and see some of the scenes at the mines. Games played by children at the mines were simple games such as marbles and dominos. Members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association who have memories growing up in the mines suggest these games are set-up. All of these games and resources together will help children to learn about coal mining heritage at their own level. The museum will be a central information and education source at the coal mining heritage park. It will educate people on the facets of a coal mining community. This includes information on the lifeways of men, women, and children. Information about the community and actual process of coal mining will be displayed. The visitors can rely on the museum to exhibit photographs, maps, and information that detail life in the New River Valley coal mines. After the museum is built a few of the structures that were formerly at Merrimac should be reconstructed. Presently, there are no standing structures at Merrimac. There are the remains of a few foundations but buildings that once existed have now deteriorated. It is hard to imagine that an entire coal mining village once stood at Merrimac. In reconstructing a few of the structures visitors will be able to understand and see what a coal mining village might have appeared like. Members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association have made a number of recommendations on which buildings best represented the mining community. One central focus at the village was the commissary or company store. (See number 6 on the historic map of Merrimac, circa 1937, drawn by Scott Kennedy and Fred Lawson; see Figure 3.2.) A family went to the commissary on almost a daily basis to purchase food and other important items. The commissary could be reconstructed along with the post office and superintendents office as it once was. According to former Merrimac miner Fred Lawson, the building had the following appearance:
Another important building was the combined shops. (See numbers 20 and 20A on the historic map of Merrimac, circa 1937, drawn by Scott Kennedy and Fred Lawson; see Figure 3.2.) This should not be confused with the company store. Things were not sold here instead, a number of people worked for the mines here. There was a blacksmith shop, a car shop, a sawmill, and a light house. These buildings were adjoined together.
There are a number of other small buildings that a miner visited on his daily routine. According to former Merrimac miner Fred Lawson at the start of the day a miner first went to the wash house to change his clothes (number 22 on the historic map of Merrimac, circa 1937, drawn by Scott Kennedy and Fred Lawson; see Figure 3.2), then to the lamp house to get his lamp (number 20A on the 1937 map), next to the powder room to get his dynamite and explosives (number 14 on the 1937 map), and last to the mule barn only if he was a mule driver (number 23 on the 1937 map). It would be interesting if we could re-create this process of events that went on by rebuilding the wash house, light house, powder house, and mule barn. These were not great big structures and certainly would not take as much effort or be as costly as reconstructing some of the other buildings.
The tipple and hoist house were paramount to running the mine (see number 15 on the historic map of Merrimac, circa 1937, drawn by Scott Kennedy and Fred Lawson; see Figure 3.2). Coal was processed and sorted at the tipple before it was loaded on to the train. In reconstructing these buildings people would be able to understand how the process of mining coal actually worked. It was an ingenious system that was all done by machine. Below is a description of the tipple and how it worked.
REBUILDING AN AUTHENTIC NEW RIVER VALLEY MINER'S HOUSE After the park has been well established, one other possibility to be considered is moving an authentic New River Valley miner’s house to the Coal Mining Heritage Park. In contrast to the "reconstructed" houses discussed earlier in this chapter, we are speaking here about rebuilding an actual historic structure rather than a replica. The Coal Mining Heritage Association presently owns one of the last remaining miner’s houses, if not the last one, and it is interested in finding a new site for the house where it will be protected and appreciated for its historic value. This would truly be a valuable addition to the park, but one which we do not recommend undertaking until the park has become well established and has a good security infrastructure. Proper security is a "must" to protect such a building from vandalism. At a later stage in the park development, however, Montgomery County and the Coal Mining Heritage Association may wish to discuss possibilities for moving this authentic miner’s house to Merrimac as a joint county-community effort. The benefits would be to enhance the park’s role in preserving the region’s mining heritage, by placing an authentic structure on exhibit. The drawbacks are in providing a safe environment and acquiring adequate funding to ensure accurate reconstruction by a firm specializing in historic preservation. Explore Park and the Beckley Coal Mining Museum, institutions that have experience resituating and exhibiting authentic structures, should be consulted at that time as to the pros and cons involved in using authentic historic structures. As mentioned, the Coal Mining Heritage Association is in possession of the last remaining miner’s house in the New River Valley. The Coal Mining Heritage Association contracted with an historic architect to disassemble and document the last standing miner’s house in Coal Bank Hollow in 1996. A photograph and description of this house by Hazel Hodge, who once resided in it, appears earlier in this chapter (see Figure 3.7). The house is presently dismantled and stored in a barn, awaiting a new home. Since the Coal Mining Heritage Park is focused on preserving the county’s mining history, it would be appropriate to "save" this last mining house by giving it a home on the park site. Documentation on the house, its condition, and documentation needed for accurate reconstruction, can be obtained through the Coal Mining Heritage Association. Many members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association who assisted in dismantling the house have indicated their willingness to help rebuild the house at a later time. A county-community joint effort to rebuild this historic building for the public might provide a wonderful opportunity for community involvement in the heritage park, which in turn would support and facilitate successive developments at the park. In conclusion, there are numerous possibilities for developing additional historical structures as part of the long-range heritage educational goal for Merrimac’s Coal Mining Heritage Park. Here we have described the commissary, combined shops, buildings that a miner visited on his daily routine, the tipple, and lastly, the rebuilding of an authentic miner’s house. We would not expect all of these options to be developed immediately, however, we have described the function and appearance of some of the more important buildings to be considered in the long-range goals of the park. PHASING AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HERITAGE ASPECTS OF THE PARK Decisions about the implementation of the park involve deciding which features should be constructed in what order. For the heritage aspects of the park, we recommend that several of the signs (discussed above) should be put in place at the very beginning of the park's development to give people a sense of progress and to bolster interest and enthusiasm. For Phase One in the park's development, we recommend construction and placement of the welcome signs at the three entrances. Also for Phase One, we recommend that attention be focused on developing the "Tipple Heritage Area" as the initial heritage focal point for the park. This involves establishing the larger signs at the "Tipple Heritage Area," which provide general information about coal mining in the New River Valley. It also involves setting up the outdoor exhibit of the hoist mechanism, coal cars and track, and the corresponding sign explaining this equipment. The "Heritage Bridge" should also be constructed over the tipple foundation at this time, if possible, to create a central exhibit feature that will serve as the park's initial information center and to provide an area for park dedications and other ceremonies. Several other signs should be put up as soon as possible, preferably during Phase One, to identify other areas of heritage interest along the Huckleberry Trail. "The Miner’s Town" sign and "Bunker Hill" sign (described above) should be erected toward the eastern part of the Huckleberry Trail, and signs identifying the old hotel and commissary sites should be erected on the western side of the park. With heritage signs on the east and west, and the Tipple Heritage Area in the middle, visitors will be drawn along from one side of the park to the other. The rest of the heritage signs should be put up as applicable to the other park developments. As the low-impact trails are constructed on the southern side of the Huckleberry, the heritage signs for those trails should also be put in place Trail (recommended for Phase Three, following the construction of the Community Recreation Area in Phase Two). The numbered post markers identifying the minor industrial buildings would be very inexpensive and easy to install. Similarly, heritage signs should be put in place when the trails are constructed on the north side of the Huckleberry Trail (recommended for Phase Four). Work on developing an archaeological exhibit at the ruins of the old supervisor's house, a destination along the Miner's House Trail, should be timed to take place when that trail is constructed (Phase Four). We have recommended that the first heritage structure, the replica of a miner's house, be constructed during Phase Five, and the Museum/Visitors Center be constructed during Phase Six. There are several possibilities for other heritage reconstructions and interpretive exhibits at the park that could be added when the park has been well established. At that time (Phase Seven in our scheme), the possibilities/potentials for other reconstructed buildings should be evaluated and pursued if feasible. One of the most interesting possibilities is the reconstruction of an actual New River Valley miner's house, the mining house that the Coal Mining Heritage Association rescued, dismantled, and is storing until an appropriate site is found (as described above). The placement of an actual miner's house in the park, as a cooperative endeavor between the county and the CMHA, would lend authenticity and interest to the park. Other ideas for long-term possibilities include reconstructing the tipple, the hoist house, and many of the other important buildings the pertained to mining life. These propositions have not been assessed by means other than expedient wishes and would need to be assessed individually at the appropriate time. One concern that our research team has is that the entire historic Merrimac site be kept intact. At this time, some portions of historic Merrimac still lie outside the park boundaries. The site of the old hotel is currently outside the park. But, of even greater concern, is the fact that most of Bunker Hill, the residential area where mining families lived in company houses, is separated from the park. It appears that the county only owns the lower portion of Bunker Hill -- containing the lower two house foundations. Bunker Hill is a necessary feature to include in the Coal Mining Heritage Park because of its historical significance. The majority of mining life happened in this area -- the life of mining women and children, as well as the men. Historic interpretation in the industrial section of Merrimac, within the park, will focus much on what the men did throughout their days. But what about the women and children? Most of their activities centered around the homes. Without the activities in the residential area, none of the mining activities as we know them could have occurred. A portrayal of life at Merrimac would be incomplete without incorporating Bunker Hill in the park. This land needs to be added to the park to complete the heritage map of Merrimac. We urge the county to work with the park's neighbors to purchase of the remainder of Bunker Hill so that historic Merrimac remains intact, and can be preserved and interpreted to the public as a whole. The Coal Mining Heritage Park presents us with a wonderful opportunity for heritage conservation and preservation that will provide the community with a story of its roots. In this chapter, we have detailed a set of recommendations for presenting the heritage of the region's coal mining in the park. From the initial signs erected, to placing the finishing touches on the miner’s house, all of these ideas contribute to saving a special piece of local history. We have designed the heritage aspects of the park to impart the rich history of coal mining, while at the same time integrating the heritage aspects with other recreational activities at the park (trails and other activities that will be discussed in the following chapters). We have designed many different facets for learning about the coal mining heritage and tried to portray a broad spectrum of the opportunities to learn what it was like in all of the aspects of mining life - from digging the coal, to getting food, to catching a ride into town for supplies, and many others aspects of life. It is important to view the heritage plans for this park as a whole integrated unit, and not just as individual unrelated pieces. We have taken great care to unite all of the ideas into a complete vision for the park. As each part is phased in, it will build a more complete picture of mining life. The signs, exhibits, heritage trails, and reconstructed buildings will give park visitors opportunities to learn in multiple ways about the strong history of an all but forgotten era. We owe it to ourselves to create the Coal Mining Heritage Park, but even more we owe it to the miners and their families to give a little back of what they gave us all, for we would not be here had it not been for those who made this area what it is today.
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