Kentucky is home to Pike County, which is the largest supplier of coal in the U.S. However, we were also home to many other coal companies all across the state. Each one had its own store, settlement, and setup for miners. During the 1930s and 1940s, coal mining in Kentucky was a lot different for miners than it is today. Songs were written about the hazards of mining, meanwhile, miners lived in worse conditions than in many third-world countries. They often had to get credit at the company store just to feed their families, eventually owing their entire month's pay to the store prior to receiving it.
Kentucky coal mines in the 1930s, for the most part, had a community pump for running water, schoolhouses, stores, and rudimentary housing in the coal mining camps. They lived in more shacks than homes, lacking running water and some lacking power. Miners worked hard to support their families, but often just couldn’t make ends meet. Here are 19 images from the 1930s and 1940s that provide some insight into coal work and workers during those decades.
19. A coal miner in Jenkins via 1935.
18. A coal mining town in Floyd County, 1938.
17. A Floyd County coal mine in 1938.
16. A group of coal miners waiting for their ride in Jenkins, 1935.
15. A miner working on some machinery in a mine, 1930.
14. Abandoned Tipple and miners' homes in Chavies, Perry County, 1940.
13. An abandoned coal trestle near Chavies, 1940.
12. Carloads of coal await transport in Hazard, 1940.
11. Coal breaker in Pike County, 1938.
10. Coal miners during 1935 in Jenkins.
9. Coal transport road near Kentucky River, 1940.
8. Families raise their own coal up Morris Fork, 1940.
7. Floyd County Coal mine, 1938.
6. Miners catching a coal worker transport, 1935.
5. Morris Fork coal shaft, 1940.
4. Morris Fork, Breathitt, Kentucky 1940.
3. Mountaineers raise coal near Buckhorn, 1940.
2. The heart of a coal mining town in Jenkins via 1935.
1. The train transports coal from Hazard in 1940.
Coal miners have led a rough life in Kentucky, and other states. They struggled to survive, and often times developed Black Lung due to coal dust. They lived in conditions that even a slum lord would frown at, and did the best they could. You can watch this video below to learn more about coal camps in Kentucky.
If there is coal mining history in your family, you likely understand the plight of those times. If not, hopefully, this will help you see and understand another part of Kentucky’s history. Sadly, the terrible conditions these hard working Kentuckians had to endure are tragic. What do you think about the old coal mining camps and conditions? If you had any family members that worked in the Kentucky coal mines, share their experience in the comments below so we can learn about it.
Is there a piece of Kentucky's history that you would like to see written about? Let us know about it by submitting a nomination form and we may write an article about it. If you want to learn more about the history of coal mining in Kentucky, check out the mining history that is preserved in the small town of Blue Heron, Kentucky.
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