Day 4: Beckley Exhibition Mine

Underground at Beckley Exhibition Mine

Beckley Exhibition Mine
This morning we began by going underground in the exhibition mine.  Marvin was an excellent tour guide! We rode a little cart through the mine and Marvin showed us how mining was done back in the early 1900's as well as the changes that have taken place since then. Coal mining always brings back good memories because my high school basketball coach was a coal miner and would tell us stories on our bus trips.  Often he would come to practice straight from work still covered in coal dust. As we rode through the mine, I found myself reverting back to those days and picturing Coach doing each of the jobs. It really brought things to life for me since I finally had a picture to go with all the stories I heard over the years.

Traditional Schoolhouse in the Early 1900's

We also had the chance to tour the buildings they had representing houses, schools, churches, stores, etc... of the time period.  The funniest thing we saw was the rules for teachers in 1915...including the fact that they were required to wear "at least" two petticoats.  They also had a list of bad behaviors and how many lashes were given as punishment for each.

Highwall Miner

Highwall Miner Manufacturer
We went to see the manufacturing plant in Beckley where highwall miners are made.  It is a really neat operation.  We watched a video about how the miner actually works.  It only requires 3 to 4 workers to run the machine per shift and it produces coal much safer than other ways of mining that require 9 to 12 workers in each area.  But one thing that was very interesting was the fact that the "tour guide" made it clear that while highwall mining is a great way of doing things, all four types of mining are needed for each specific situation.  But with the highwall miner no one is required to go underground which is a huge safety improvement!

Courthouse steps where Sid Hatfield was Murdered

McDowell County Courthouse
Next stop was a quick photo-op where Sid Hatfield was murdered as he was entering his trial in Welch.

Mike Little explaining the blood bath at Matewan

Matewan
I loved hearing Dr. Little explaining what took place in Matewan.  His passion for the history of West Virginia as a whole and for the truth of what exactly happened at the hardware store is catchy.  I greatly enjoyed seeing the sites and hearing his interpretation of the events.

Van 2 - Ready for Work!! :-)

Van 2
I have had a blast on the trip!  It has been great seeing the state of West Virginia and learning about the entire process of coal, but the conversations we have had on our van have been priceless.  From the collaborative educational talk to the hysterical joking and laughing till we cry...it is a trip I will definitely not forget! :-)