Is This 100-Year-Old Coal Camp Hell?
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Is This 100-Year-Old Coal Camp Hell?
Derby, Virginia is an old coal camp in Wise County that celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2023. Derby is one of the more unique coal towns you will encounter with many of its homes built of a similar red block construction. Originally part of the Stonega Coke and Coal Company, construction on Derby began in 1922 and was completed in 1923. Check out this video for a closer look at one of the better coal camps you’ll see.
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I'm a retired trucker and traveled WVA extensively and found it very scenic but the grinding poverty always made me sad. I enjoy your channel and I always found the folks in WVA warm and friendly. Many many trips up and down the WVA turnpike and always spent the night at the big travel plaza . I enjoy the history you people bring out. You have a great channel. My best USAF buddy in the 80s was from the town they filmed Matewan in (HIGHLY recommend the movie BTW) he had cousins in the background scenes . Also HIGHLY recommend the 70s award winning documentary "Bloody Harlan County" (I think that was the title IIRC) about the union coal wars. Wish you the best and enjoy the channel.
I really enjoy this channel too. WVA is an absolutely beautiful place and these videos really show it. I'll definitely be watching Matewan...according to the reviews, it's a great movie.
This comment got past us until now somehow. Oh yes, Matewan is a great movie. I think most of it was filmed in Thurmond. Harlan County USA was the documentary and unless it has been taken down it is still on RUclips somewhere. Having worked during a strike myself, it really brings home the tension and hostility
@@realappalachia they couldn't film it in Matewan because it was too remote to get the heavy film equipment into .
WV
West Virginia is just gorgeous! I miss that area... I grew up in the Ohio Valley and we used to go exploring, but not to the extent that you do. I'm so happy to see it again. Derby is such a cool town and it's nice to see people still live there but i wonder where they work? The town is nicely kept and those houses are increcible! If i was young (and kooky) again, I might consider living off-grid in WV. Wouldn't that be fun if i were strong and able to do it. Thank you for all the love you give to WV. xo
Hi, Melody. I just want to mention you look terrific with that casual hair style. Oh, about the video, you already know I loved it, right?
I’m always amazed when I watch these videos of how much trash and litter is thrown around when they live in such a beautiful part of the country.
@@davebryant8050 Thanks for the info Dave.
@@davebryant8050 Excellent response ❤
You might like to Google Derby UK - Derby is the county town of Derbyshire with a long and interesting history of coal mining - this may have been the origin of your 'Derby'
Hope I can get your book.. I have relative in coeburn area.. I love that area.. I sure miss it
Thank you. We loved visiting Coeburn a year or so ago.
Derby is such a neat place. You two sweet people always visit the most interesting places. Take care and be safe on the road.
I used to be a geologist for the state of West Virginia and did resource assessment including coal sample assessment during the late 70s. For about three years I was literally over under around and through the New River and Pocahontas metallurgical coalfields of southern West Virginia. First these people deserve great respect as they along with the iron range miners of Minnesota, the limestone miners around the Great Lakes, and the ore boat sailors did much to build the nation and win two world wars. If you go back up the hollow (I’m from the upper Ohio Valley), and find a suitable road it was and promises to return to pristine beauty. The big issues involve the unfriendliness of the rugged topography to most industry, depletion of this area’s very unique resource, and now those politicians who benefit from the drugs flowing over the southern border in record amounts. Frankly the people, who built this region and are largely buried here deserve a much better legacy for their grandchildren! I don’t watch many documentaries like this because frankly as a native Virginian/West Virginian because even the well done like this one as they blindingly piss me off not at the creators, but at those who would abandon these people!
Anyway, good video. Have you considered coming across the border a little to do Olga Coal’s Coalwood? I haven’t been there for maybe twenty years.
I have family there. Grandpa lived there and mined for Westmorland.
My paps owned the house and garage u pulled into lol.
u started vid in the "black section". I worked a structure fire there in the late 90s. Great people lived there. fire took several of those houses
Seriously? Wow, how did he end up THERE??
Have you ever thought of doing a few videos on mining as a job for those people back in the day? I think it would be interesting to see a few honest and truthful vids about what mining was like then, wages, physical hazards like collapse, health issues from the coal mines, etc. Seems the jobs people did as 'normal' back then have been overlooked especially mining as it was so difficult and dangerous not including the health risks back then, seems plenty were born into it and died from various things as a result.
Hey this is a cool little town! The beginning is spooky for sure. Then the stuff people are living in is super colorful. Were the colorful ones built back in the 1920s too?
Another great video, very interesting and informative. Keep up the great work. Such great chemistry between the two of you.
I heard ya mention that the mines may have been at the end of the holler....I grew up there in Big Stone Gap to be exact, and yes there was a mine at the end, but also when you come into the holler, there is a gravel road right across from the 2nd house on the right, where there was a strip mine and that road if you travel it all the way through comes out in the Inman community at the beginning of the town of Appalachia. As a teenager growing up there, what else ya gonna do in the mountains but go 4-wheeling on the old mining roads? 😂 From Roda and Stonega, you can ride those mining roads and come out in Kentucky. Love yalls videos. We moved to Alabama in 2016, so I love those videos of home. Miss those mountains.
I love Clint Eastwood's old Spaghetti Westerns, especially H.P.D that was an awesome movie
Another fine video! Thanks so much for venturing into the difficult (but worthwhile) conversation about the "divide and conquer" tactics some companies used to try to keep miners from banding together and forming unions. (Still going on today? Possibly... 😀.) I noticed that on the sticker that y'all posted for the mining helmet, there were the words: "No Absentee for 1983." Imagine not missing a single day of work in some pretty tough conditions for a whole year! At least that's what I think it meant. 🙂 I have a feeling that there were some days when somebody went to work feeling pretty awful. Now there's a work ethic! I'm thinking that that tradition is where the two people who create videos about Real Appalachia get theirs!
Another great video and history of this little camp. I love this stuff. Thanks as always and God bless you both.😊😊
The Sheep Dog and Coyote you spoke of were Ralph and Sam on Looney Tunes. They were some of my favorites along with Bugs,Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Legion and many others. I loved the Saturday morning cartoons
Derby is a very nice town with all it colorful houses. Makes a cloudy day not so gloomy.
Those houses were originally duplexes
I so enjoy watching you two travel and narrate the history of these little magical towns!
Well it sure did look abandoned, I didn't see you pass by any other motorist or anyone even standing around anywhere.
When I was younger and living in Clinchco Va, they had what was called "colored holler"(where the black people HAD to live). It may even still be like that today. I remember when one of our football coaches, who was black, moved his family just outside of colored holler, into the white section. Well, soon after thier house got burned down.
And if I seen an ugly big blue eyesore of a house like in your video, I'd probably burn it down to.🤣, j/k.
Such a nice looking coal camp SO glad to see this isn't abandoned! Colorful houses too! Those garages look alot lie the ones here in the camp I live in,, Carolina(Marion county) WV!
Good video as usual!!. I have been to Derby many times. I actually inspected the Derby Mine several times when I worked at MSHA. I once stopped to look at one of the old company house’s that had partially fallen down. The bricks they are constructed of are very different from any brick I have ever seen before. I also noticed that the coal house’s you mentioned were made from these same type of brick. The bricks were tubular in shape containing four chambers from one of the brick to the other. Many of the house were duplexes. I was told that there were several races of people living in Derby back in the day. Each had their own section, however like you said all men were treated equal when they went into the mine. Miners are among the least racist people in America. People in the mine are judged on their character not their race. In my opinion Miners are the salt of the earth.
I miss the days in high school sneaking in girlfriends window, was across from derby church, and many many memories til death do us and Appalachia part
Great video! I'm a black woman thank you for mentioning black coal miner's. I love watching videos about old places, coal miners, anything about history. But you don't hear about black coal miner's at all so again thank you. May God continue to bless y'all and keep you safe.
Black coal miners are a huge part of Appalachia’s story, wouldn’t be the same place without their contributions. God bless you too, Aimee.
@@realappalachia Wow never knew that. Can't wait for more of your videos
True, but you know there were plenty of Black men in the mines. Sadly, they didn’t get as much pay as the white guys. Not right at all! Were there any mines that paid the same?
people in them cole towns
Should be selling their cole on the net
By the 5 gallon bucket
Everybody's going to need the melting process their own gold and silver
Because power plants don't run if they don't get paid
A lot of these videos would be a lot better if they wasn’t filmed while it’s so dark or overcast, even turning the light way up on a device doesn’t help …I love looking at these, but would be better if you picked days, or different times ago film
Per your conversation at the end Melody & Shane one thing I have learned in my 63 years is when white and black workers fight each other there is only one winner - country club man!
had relatives in bishop va/wva and visited several times in the 60s. it was a thriving place back then. they had bought their house from the coal co. had a new car every few years and educated their kids.
Great visit, thank you Shane and Melody. I like the house colors too 😊
Is there any sort of shops / store for groceries etc. Why are the people so poor in the richest country on earth?
My mom grew up in Stevens,another old coal camp same county
Um no. Hell is any major city in the us right now. That looks like heaven to me.
Cool history. Thank you.🇺🇸 I was telling some dear friends about y'all. Also we agreed that for most of our lives, when we walked into a room and flipped the switch, or turned on the heat or AC... we had Coal Miners to thank. BTW, I helped a Sweet Virginia lady with directions in my Home town of Crystal River, FL. I live just over in Marion county. I thought about y'all when she said she was from SW Virginia.💕👍🙏
Another excellent vid , love watching them.
Appreciate the history lessons aswell.
Stay well.
N.zer in aus.
Way to stay "green" and recycle..... LOL Thanks for sharing.
I grew up in several coal camps like this one, back in West Virginia, in the 1950s and 60s. I now like in Florida. Those two story houses were usually boarding houses, for bachelors. These may have been duplexes. The houses of the Supers were higher on the hill, showing their elevated position in society. Looking at the picture of the new town, it looks very much like a modern suburban development, except most of the houses are made with brick, ours were all wooden. I wonder if the ones we have today will look like those do, in a hundred years? The creek, (there always is one), is to carry off the sewage, from houses with indoor plumbing. The wooden garages we had were enormous, so you could work on your car in the Winter. Nobody stored things in them. Colored Town was always on the far end or on the "wrong" side of the tracks. Same thing in the cemetery. By the way, I am enjoying the Lady's accent, reminds me of home, long ago.
Thanks for the insight, Fred
Just realized that I hadn't actually subscribed. Thought I was already. Hmm. Fixed that!
Thank you so much, Loston
Didn't the original color of the coal town homes indicate the coalmine company that owned them? I remember that my grandparents homes were in this community of homes that were all painted yellow.
👍👍..
My mom lived in Derby for four years in the 50’s. Her father was a preacher at that church. I showed her this video and she still mostly remembers who lived in which house.
That’s fantastic
First time I ever seen anything like this n Wow
I find these coal camps so interesting. Thank you.
Sup from Kentucky😊
Thank you Shane and Melody for another excellent video; we appreciate you!
I recognize that place!
Hello new friend from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
Howdy! Hope you’re doing well down under ❤️
Very interesting! Thank you! Seems you never capture people in their yards or out and about!
I've been watching for a while now and have often thought the same thing.
When you two going to tie the knot?
You are one lucky guy !
Thank U for sharing
Dog's name was Sam.
Beautiful Church
Lived on the east coast of Virginia in 85. I decided to go to Clinch Valley College in Wise.
Beautiful country. Great people. Saw my first High Wall. Lol.
where are the people?
Lots of great photos of Derby were taken by Westmoreland Coal (Stonega C&C) when the town was being built. There are a couple of books, and the Hagley in Delaware has the originals. Another Derby note: it and other area mines only had one way in and private roads, so not everyone could just go through town.
Are the two-story houses actually duplexes.
Yes they were but I think some if not most have been converted into single family homes
Played fast pitch softball with a guy named John Warf from Big Stone Gap in the Air Force in Japan back in the 60s. If anyone knows him tell him hello. Hope he is still kicking.
Wow wat a place
Yes very creepy
I had no idea that Va had so many coal mine operations. I just always thought that coal operations on the east coast were limited to Penn. & W Va..
Wise county Virginia was nothing but coal country. Went into the boarder state Kentucky too.huge coal producers
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and especially Kentucky were all coal mining states. Some of them of course didn't have coal in the entire state. Alabama also has a big coal industry.
What are/were all those small brick structures with 2 windows you drove by in one neighborhood ? Seemed to be a bunch of them. Something to do with coal storage ?
Yes, they were sometimes referred to as “coal houses” where the company would deliver the coal for home heating, etc.
@Real Appalachia Awesome. Very interesting. I appreciate the reply. Keep up the great vids ! 👍
Great video and loved the reference to high plains drifter... big Clint Eastwood fan myself! 😊
KY ✌️
Yeah?
If those who were members of the Derby Methodist church who have since passed away, knew what was going on in the Methodist "church" today, they would roll completely out of their graves!! Cool video guys!
very nice tour
Are you guys a couple? BF and GF, or husband and wife? Great videos!!
The former coal towns of West Virginia remind me of the former Mill Villages here in South Carolina.
I wonder what all the old garages were for and what's in them now?I see a lot of the small coal delivery buildings are still standing. What do people in this town do for a living these days?
Been to some old coal camps here in west virginia thats almost or all gone😊
I live in Reliance, Wyoming, an old UP coal camp. This was the main camp of 4 in this area. Wonton, Stansbury, and Dines. Dines was a company out of Colorado, but they were treated the same as the other communities. Reliance is the last of the camps still remaining, the other camps houses have been relocated in Rock Springs, about 5 miles away.
I really appreciate the history of the area, the c
Care that the Union Pacific took care of their people. This doesn’t happen anymore with the big corporations and it’s a shame.
Are these houses duplex's
Some are or at least used to be
I watch this video from my wife’s channel on the TV where I can’t comment. I just wanted you to know that I love melody’s accent and chain complements the whole channel together, so I am immediately subscribing.
That’s so awesome, thanks so much, Rick
I worked with a guy from Hell,WVA
Hey you guys
Been raining here in Missouri for 3days straight.
.
Very interesting, please keep up the good work. Love reading the comments from people who remember these places and have stories to tell. Really fascinating for someone from the UK.
Thank you so much, Deborah, hope you’re doing well in the UK
Enjoyed this ! Very beautiful area ! Love the houses !
My best-gal and me enjoy backcountry motorcycling in the VA & WV coal country regions. Scores of historic town, beautiful vistas, friendly folks we encountered along the way. A living patina. The 2 of you bantering back n forth. Sounds like ourselves over our wireless to each other.
Sounds like y’all have a lot of fun too
My question is why was it called coal camp hell
I'll bet the inside of those houses have some beautiful architecture. You can tell by the window placement that the rooms are spacious. Thanks, this was enjoyable.
Oh yes, I’m sure you’re right. Thank you!
Very cool video. Great job on the editing.
Wow, love these videos of Coal towns
Those houses are so colorful!
Has a ghost town feel about it.
Y'all make me miss riding through the mountains!
Come on up!
Great video! And you get to do it with a pretty lady!
Thank you
👍👍👍👍 for sure
Another one of my old haunts. The company I worked for at the time had several gas wells in the Derby area that we were converting to automated measurement and control about 20 years ago.
Very cool town, thank you! I should keep it to myself but in many cases, I think there are even more "racial disparitys" now days in home maintenance. (Or lack of)
Very well researched presentation. Much appreciated, thanks.