Kaymoor is an abandoned coal town in the New River Gorge. Nature will reclaim anything if given a chance. Former resident Orvil King remembers the community into which he was born.
MY VERY BEGINNING WAS AT KAYMOOR TOP. I STILL RECALL & MISS THOSE DAYS, THE FISHING OF NEW RIVER AS WELL AS THE TROUT STREAMS.. I LEFT THERE AROUND 1954 BUT HAVE RETURNED FOR SHORT VISITS MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS. I HAVE RESIDED IN N.J. FOR WHAT SEEMS TO BE A LIFETIME, AS I SEE THINGS NOW I HAVE MADE MY LAST TRIP SOUTH, HAD MANY BIRTHDAYS. YES DON TUFTS, I SEE YOUR POST I AM SURE YOU & I HAVE THE SAME MEMORIES. BOB PENNINGTON
Bob Pennington. Hi Bob. My dad john smith had a sister name Freda she married Russel Pennington. All my family from winona. oakhill.mt hope. Faetteville area mgramps andrew j smith also werked in them mines. Dads. Brother Esrom smith kia in cave in ..in 36. My mom was meadows. And gipson family from winona. And king family around that area to.For a time line. My dad was born 1922. We moved to mich in 50.. Russell may have been a culouple years older. R Pennington was also a pentacostal preacher. Thnks. Dan smith
Great story, history is wonderful. Thats is a beautiful place, stunning scenery. Well worth the trip and time spent. When your there try to see back n time and try to realize what it was like to live there.
Thanks for this great video. I grew up at Kaymoor, worked for a little while at the company store, sold gas and made deliveries. Loved the "community" there, even though I didn't realize this until later in life. We lived on Kaymoor Top and in New Camp. Left in '57 but go back every chance I get. Don Tufts (son of Ray Tufts)
Yes, Don life was great back then. Would like to get into some of those great trout streams again, however had too many birthdays to ever make it back. I left there in 1954 long ago. There are a couple things i do not miss one being the copperheads, rattlers & cotton mouths. Here in South Jersey we rarely run into a poison' snake. we are getting old don I just turned 83 but still going.
Kaymore 1 is out Gatewood. And Kaymore is down fayette station...where I'm from.. My papa came here in 1920s..worked 52 years in those mines..down old mossy
I feel the same way. These videos are really motivating me to leave urban Virginia and settle into a beautiful area in the mountains and actually start a new family heritage out there in real America.
I went and visited Kaymoor back in 2009! It was a wonderful expierience but a little word of advice to anyone that walks down the stairs to the bottom you better be in shape for the hike back up lol
+imtv, most of the time (here in West Virginia) if a town up and becomes history, its because whatever held the economy up in the town has dissipated.. Much like alot of coal towns in WV are abandoned, because the mines shut down and there was nothing to hold the economy up in a sense
third picture first man squatting is my great great great grandaddy Harry Garten trying to find any other family in West Virginia grandmommy used to always show us this picture I would love to learn more
You will never find anything if you do not travel to the county records office. Most old record for small towns are not digitized so that one would need to do significant footwork for even a hand full of small town genealogical records. It's less work than it sounds like.
+SomeGuy thank you!!! well it does give me a reason to go on a road trip😊 tracing my family's footsteps might be even better then learning about it online
At 03:27 what kind of music is that? I've heard that style of music on a lot of documentaries about the West Virginia coal mines and I really like it. It's the type of music I want to learn on my little parlour acoustic guitar.
That would be bluegrass my friend. Came from ancient Irish and English folk music. Or music of the common folk, meaning not highly sophisticated. Oh how far we've come now. The "common folks" music is more complex than anything being made today.
I have seen ghost towns around the world and it makes me wonder what makes a town growth or diminishes and fade away, is it just business or is there something more add to this phenomenon?
Well in West Virginia you must live in conditions worse then other states like bad winters of extreme cold an hot summers in 90-100 or 102 F weather not mentioning sickness here that needs treated right
intresting i thnk i have cousins name King my pops john smith n dad andrew jackson smith and bro ballard smith was killed in cave in at kaymore in the 30s. mom was lena meadows from wynona. coal miners n farmers to. im 66 n now in jackson mich. love west va.
the way nature reclaims alnd in just a few decades shows that Earth is young and The Flood really did occur. In say 500 years everything in that mine site woudl be under a car[et of lush vegetation - so if Earth is ancient why is there so much bare sand and rock?
MY VERY BEGINNING WAS AT KAYMOOR TOP. I STILL RECALL & MISS THOSE DAYS, THE FISHING OF NEW RIVER AS WELL AS THE TROUT STREAMS.. I LEFT THERE AROUND 1954 BUT HAVE RETURNED FOR SHORT VISITS MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS. I HAVE RESIDED IN N.J. FOR WHAT SEEMS TO BE A LIFETIME, AS I SEE THINGS NOW I HAVE MADE MY LAST TRIP SOUTH, HAD MANY BIRTHDAYS. YES DON TUFTS, I SEE YOUR POST I AM SURE YOU & I HAVE THE SAME MEMORIES. BOB PENNINGTON
Bob Pennington. Hi Bob. My dad john smith had a sister name Freda she married Russel Pennington. All my family from winona. oakhill.mt hope. Faetteville area mgramps andrew j smith also werked in them mines. Dads. Brother Esrom smith kia in cave in ..in 36. My mom was meadows. And gipson family from winona. And king family around that area to.For a time line. My dad was born 1922. We moved to mich in 50.. Russell may have been a culouple years older. R Pennington was also a pentacostal preacher. Thnks. Dan smith
Great story, history is wonderful. Thats is a beautiful place, stunning scenery. Well worth the trip and time spent. When your there try to see back n time and try to realize what it was like to live there.
Thanks for this great video. I grew up at Kaymoor, worked for a little while at the company store, sold gas and made deliveries. Loved the "community" there, even though I didn't realize this until later in life. We lived on Kaymoor Top and in New Camp. Left in '57 but go back every chance I get. Don Tufts (son of Ray Tufts)
Yes, Don life was great back then. Would like to get into some of those great trout streams again, however had too many birthdays to ever make it back. I left there in 1954 long ago. There are a couple things i do not miss one being the copperheads, rattlers & cotton mouths. Here in South Jersey we rarely run into a poison' snake. we are getting old don I just turned 83 but still going.
I lived in kaymoor #2 in the 70s and 80s growing up and I miss it today, I wish I could go back in time.
Kaymore 1 is out Gatewood. And Kaymore is down fayette station...where I'm from..
My papa came here in 1920s..worked 52 years in those mines..down old mossy
I feel the same way. These videos are really motivating me to leave urban Virginia and settle into a beautiful area in the mountains and actually start a new family heritage out there in real America.
That older gentleman is so sweet. I am walking there today with my bestfriend.. I will be thinking of him! :)
The song is an old time hymn called The Unclouded Day. It was originally sung in the line style.
I went and visited Kaymoor back in 2009! It was a wonderful expierience but a little word of advice to anyone that walks down the stairs to the bottom you better be in shape for the hike back up lol
+imtv, most of the time (here in West Virginia) if a town up and becomes history, its because whatever held the economy up in the town has dissipated.. Much like alot of coal towns in WV are abandoned, because the mines shut down and there was nothing to hold the economy up in a sense
These are real men, sadly disappearing.
My son and I hiked this over the 4th and whew! Burned those calories. Could only visualize how life was.
great videos about wva love the music too
Looks cool
third picture first man squatting is my great great great grandaddy Harry Garten trying to find any other family in West Virginia grandmommy used to always show us this picture I would love to learn more
You will never find anything if you do not travel to the county records office. Most old record for small towns are not digitized so that one would need to do significant footwork for even a hand full of small town genealogical records. It's less work than it sounds like.
+SomeGuy thank you!!! well it does give me a reason to go on a road trip😊 tracing my family's footsteps might be even better then learning about it online
Is the first clip not of Grandview state park?
Park ranger said coal seam was 36 inches high. Those men worked their says crouched kneeling to work, low coal.
hot hard work!
that's what she said... so i rose to the challenge. split her like a piece of firewood. she was worth it.
i want to visit Kaymoor West Virginia.
5:40 impressive woodwork!
Thank you!
I really want to check this out
At 03:27 what kind of music is that? I've heard that style of music on a lot of documentaries about the West Virginia coal mines and I really like it. It's the type of music I want to learn on my little parlour acoustic guitar.
........ (cont.) What I mean is what's the genre/style of music called.
That would be bluegrass my friend. Came from ancient Irish and English folk music. Or music of the common folk, meaning not highly sophisticated. Oh how far we've come now. The "common folks" music is more complex than anything being made today.
I have seen ghost towns around the world and it makes me wonder what makes a town growth or diminishes and fade away, is it just business or is there something more add to this phenomenon?
this was the best sandwich i've had in quite some time.... thanks for mustard..
Well in West Virginia you must live in conditions worse then other states like bad winters of extreme cold an hot summers in 90-100 or 102 F weather not mentioning sickness here that needs treated right
Well. This explains a lot....
what?
an i forgot if you lived there you had a miner in family an if not you had to leave town
intresting i thnk i have cousins name King my pops john smith n dad andrew jackson smith and bro ballard smith was killed in cave in at kaymore in the 30s. mom was lena meadows from wynona. coal miners n farmers to. im 66 n now in jackson mich. love west va.
mostly coal in WV killed this one if coal stops producing the town dies an must be abandoned
lol...gobblers knob!?
I know right. for a minute there i bet you thought they were talking about your mom.... I sure did.
the way nature reclaims alnd in just a few decades shows that Earth is young and The Flood really did occur.
In say 500 years everything in that mine site woudl be under a car[et of lush vegetation - so if Earth is ancient why is there so much bare sand and rock?
I wouldn't drink the water if I were you.
Thanks to Trump the mine has reopened...LOL
"Cube$martKkk3Boss"