I knew your father-in-law, and mother-in-law. Mountains. If you dont, I cant fault you for that, either. I was just in Harlan County this weekend. Yes I remember you, vaguely, it has been a long time. ! Whatd I say? They lived near Dionne along the river there. My dad was one of them, outside Tommy Lees barbershop. And we DID bathe just like people from up north. Enjoyed the article. My children are fascinated and perhaps slightly horrified that I grew up in Harlan. Right now, its in a big down turn. art halcomb. Were isolated. Brings back so many memories. Used to go to Cumblin every Fride and satdy nite. I do not claim to be from there so I am not in any of your groups. If he called on you and you missed the questionBOOM! ENJOYED YOUR ARTICLE, WOULDNT TRADE THE PLACE I GREW UP FOR ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD . For roughly a century after the railroad came in, Harlan flourished or suffered according to coals cycle of boom and bust; the countys population expanded or And should I know you? One hell of a nice fellow. I knew that truly dangerous people dont threaten much. Thats pretty much the consensus of people I know. IMDbPro. Now, far in the past, at least until I visit. My mother drove through Brookside to go to work every day, so I also know the strike was real. I grew up in the town of Harlan, at the bottom of Ivy Hill. Never mind. So, I speak of how it was 30 years ago. Pingback: Hometown Loyall-ty | Coal Troll's Blog. Elected wives president by Lois. Our football coach , Ed Miracle, was shot in the foot playing golf three weeks later . We outlanders like our Harlan roots. I went to Cumberland College, Austin Peay Univ for my first masters, Trevecca University for my doctorate, second masters, and administrative certification. I didnt like a lot of your article, some of it is accurate. Isolation. It captured the essence of Jimmy. Itd be hard to sneeze and not hit a Creech with the spray. Dad was a good friend of Norman Yarboroughs. I guess youd call it a region or sub-region of Central Appalachia. I graduated in 80. Director Barbara Kopple lived among the miners families and captures an intimate portrait of a movement. Clarence had one brother Howard P. Leonard and Howard P and his wife Lucille had a son named Clarence Edwin Leonard. The motel next to Holy Trinity was a Holiday Inn Express at one time, but now its a Comfort Inn. In fact, when I was down there on business a couple of years ago, I saw a couple hanging out in front of rock store. Most of them have never even been to Ky let alone Harlan. The strikers made bumper stickers supporting their cause and drove around the community in a truck with loudspeakers to explain their grievances and hopefully gain support. There has always been tension between those who work and those who dont or wont. Oh, i think these shows are a joke, they couldnt do the truth,,, thank you, Lane. I just tried a case in Illinois. Self - Mine Foreman (as Basil Collins) 1976; Credits. Harlan County, Kentucky It was quiet then. Most of us pass through this phase at some point. I loved growing up there and go back frequently. Wouldnt trade it for anything. Pingback: ALL ABOARD THE NERVE GAS TRAIN! I grew up in Sunshine too. jack brock ha d 21 dogs and 21 kids, he got kill by a drunk man he was taking home that was about like the earth quake in los ang years ago it was bad , for those who know my grandpa honey bill saylor and my dad and my friend big al ,arnold lee saylor he was a damn good man i miss alot cause he is in all my boys alot i see him every day yours trunly ronnie gene saylor of molus ky aka molus hollow. miners in this county AND other states. He died in a house fire a few years ago. Doc Gray? Take care. I think we overlapped at Cawood for a year. I had friends in Pathfork. WebBasil Collins the mine foreman might have been one of the best villians I have ever seen in movies, except for the fact that he was real. U can take me out of Ky. but u cant take Ky out of me!!!!!! It would occasionally be condemned but re-open at some point. People were practically hanging on it. I have resided in Knoxville, TN for 26 years but Eastern Kentucky will always be home because that is where my extended family and my husbands extended family continue to reside. Small town life can be hard or easy. My husband has worked in low coal where one had to crawl to get to your section. If its hard, its hopeless. I worked as a car hop from Denny rays rite out of high school. My Uncle Ralph Leonard was Pastor at the Baxter Methodist Church before it was moved. Town is flooded with people. BTW I live on Watts Creek and have most of my life..off and on. Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) captures the story of strike conducted by the United Mine Workers of America Local Union in Harlan County, Kentucky. Lots of memories from Harlan. It is classified as a moist countya county in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county), but containing a "wet" city, in this case Cumberland, where package alcohol sales are allowed.In the city of Harlan, The culture you describe in Harlan is very similar to Leadville-only the accents are different-except for my dadhe never lost his. Lived in Hazard then, after Hazard we came to Ohio. Although we certainly werent poor, Government Cheese is excellent, and my Dad would get us a block whenever he could. The wrong side of the tracks to the town school crowd of the 1960s. Coal Mining. But today, thanks to my daughter and another pool company, there are more privately owned pools at homes, per average, than in Fayette County (Lexington). Thank you so much for sharing. I wonder if youre related to Clarence Leonard who lived near Evarts. My great granny and grandpa lived in Harlan when they first married but moved to Leslie county. Eastern Ky is not privvy to divorce is it?? I am origionally from Atlanta. Do you remember the Chappells Dairy slogan? They say that when they see I use Scotch Tape, staples or safety pins to fix a hem in a pair of pants. In Atlanta, some of the New Yorkers that worked with me at the ad agency used to continually ask me where I was from just to hear me say it. ITS GOOD TO HEAR FROM OTHER HARLAN CO PEOPLE. Thanks! I am Wayne Middletons daughter. Jan had so many stories about the hospital. Thanks for the kind comments. I just found this wonderful Blog! I try to go back a couple times a year, for nostalgia as much as bagging those elusive, scarce birds. Brought back alot of memories. Only if were talking to another Harlan Countian would we narrow the description to the town. Among this crowd are those that my father called off the grid. He said we had a sub-culture of people so far off the creek that they werent plugged in to the modern world. I went from a county of about 35,000 people spread over 1,000 square miles to a campus of 20,000 + crammed into a few blocks. She graduated from Cumberland High School. Are we still allowed to be in Appalachia? I was about 11-12 and I remember we played outside constantly. It tends to work to my advantage. Thank you. When I went to college, I befriended other Eastern Kentuckians. Andas for the grid: Morehead is east of Middlesboro. It reeked of Pine Sol. All my mothers family is from Harlan (Baxter, Big Laurel, Loyall) and my heart is there. We used to be territorial based on our schools. My much loved step daddy moved us to his hometown after he was discharged from the Army. We had our own post office, City Hall and fire station. We wore machine guns with semiautomatic carbines. My parents married in Harlan County in 1949. Maybe they never left. We mourn with the family of Basil Collins for this great loss. He said that I was making the county look bad. Food stamps, too. But I have lived in Harlan Co. since 1986 & now I couldnt imagine living any where else. Its a kind of mountain street cred. Honestly, I laughed out loud, because it was so venomous. I live in Texas but will always be a Harlan Co Ky girl. I do think this is good stuff. The first of the month is a big time in Harlan. We lived in Yancey when I was born, moved to Brookside, then moved to Evarts (Woods Mine Area) before moving to Walker County, AL. cheese. JACHS did not open until the 66 67 school year. Theres no future. . Yes, Big_O,, I remember the man you asked about. I go there to visit, and it has improved somewhat, but I like my central Ky home in LaRue county much better. A friend of mine once drank a beer from a girls cowboy boot at the Lounge. Rarely is an Eastern Kentucky county a destination. And the tell me they can always tell when Im talking to a relative on the phone for the same reason. She taught Home Ec, but also taught other classes. My Mom taught at SE Community College. I was born and raised in Harlan County, from Jones Creek, graduated from Evarts High. There is a bleak side to Harlan, as anywhere else. He had a taxi service called Do me right He was found on the side of the mountain with many bullets in him and his taxi. My parents who were also my papaw and mamaw owned Tiny Jos market in Baxter. Eastern Kentucky isnt for everybody, it isnt even for a lot of the people who live here their whole life. I dont know. Even though life was very hard at times, it was filled with family and friends and its been fun thinking about them this morning. Harlan County Norman was good to my dad, especially during my dads troubles with alcohol yet another commonality of that age. But my Harlan upbringing gave me my core values. heres the link: It has to be kind of tough to get there or at the very least its just on the way to somewhere else. So my family got to enjoy it even tho they never lived in Harlan. He was actually the son of my aunts husband, so that technically makes him a cousin, but age-wise he was more of my dads generation so that made him an uncle. Someone told me that the best way to commit suicide was to stand around in Smith and act like youre counting money! Janice and I were both switchboard operators and admissions clerk. It will always be home to me. I know that area well. John I cant believe you didnt even mention the no nothin about. What do you suppose that would translate into? I too are from Harlan I left in Jan. 1975. We didnt have that problem when I lived there. When we heard a car coming we knew we were having company.we usually hid to see who it was. I have got too much time and information invested in my research to keep up with to just ignore my research. What is Eastern Kentucky? Sweet. We werent eligible for cheese, either, but my Dad would get it anyway! There are people who will pretend to be from Harlan or any place else in Eastern Kentucky. The coal industry known for its boom and bust cycles was in a slump. Btw, the Mount Victory part of this county feels very Eastern KY. Just found the blog and enjoyed it. I used to try and derail the presumptions, now I just embrace them. I grew up in this wonderful town, going for summers and Christmas in Atlanta. Knew a few Edsels which I never met outside Harlan! I left first to attend Cumberland College, then only a two year school, and later was forced to leave and gravitate north for employment. And they didnt. Finally I tried talking like a city slicker but I was too Eastern Kentucky that way. If its easy, theres nothing better. She would forever remain his Georgia Peach. For instance, threats didnt faze me. I was born and raised in Sunshine. No Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, etc. My mother taught at Evarts for many years. My ancestors settled Smith, hence its name, and Im proud of it being off the grid. I have always considered Harlan my second home. inside lacrosse schedule; bradley county 911 active incidents; dodgers home run seats menu; what happened to brittany on the jeff kuhner show. They tease me that my accent changes when I cross the county line going back home :-). Its too dull. We mine coal and have for over 100 years. My parents were stalwarts. To the men that worked at the Highsplint mine, where the majority of filming took place for the documentary, he was the one responsible for making sure Basil and his men got through to work every day. Ive lived a few places in east ky, but never been to Harlan. I have to say, I know of nobody named Lonzo. Everything is right on! I left Ky in 1990 but go back very very often. I feel blessed to have grown up in Harlan, at a time when people actually cared about each other, and would not trade it for anything!! You hit the nail on the head. People gathered at the railroad tracks to watch it. HARLAN WILL ALWAYS BE HOME TO ME. Im actually kind of offended by your antics and false information. I had Mrs. Williams for health, would it be your Mom? One day I kidding with a guy about something he was buying and at some point he says that hes from Mingo, West Virginia. My people have been there for over 200 years, since before it was Harlan. Thanks for the great story. We were not eligible for the government cheese, but my aunt was, & she would always bring us some, every month. Whatever happened to Basil Collins? - Answers Im surprised I didnt end up with some kind of lung disease. The government cheese, however, is real. The hills and hollers made me who I am today and the people I love still call Eastern Kentucky home. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit but my parents were from Harlan County, my dad born in Holmes Mill growing up in Highsplint, my mother born and raised in Black Mountain eventually leaving and lived in Corbin. When I first saw the documentary, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how my dad would be portrayed, but his name was never mentioned. Loyallalso had a theaterthe Roadenuntil I was about 6 years old. E Hudson. If he is still living can you ask him about any Leonard relatives he know about or put him in touch with me. loved this. That is certainly true, but I must say that those unfortunates (if thats what they are) are the in minority.. Bad-ass wasnt the first word to come to mind, but I sure didnt want to mess with those folk! Harlan County USA I still call Harlan home, and as our family decreases, we return to our home to rest in Resthaven until we are all reunited in the hereafter. Love your response, I live in central ky for a lot of years now, but when I can go home I stay at the Comfort Inn Hotel, it is a Blessing to us out of towners, I think this page is right on, and I dont like the way most people think of Harlan, we are just like anyone else, even if we have a little accent, awesome page, and I lived in Loyall a few years also, my mother died there, thanks for letting people know that its not all justified, although I have never watched a full episode, they are awful. Well, I have rambled enough. The people of Harlan are among the nicest people I have ever met and I have traveled all over the country. The economy continues to contract and isnt likely to get much better. Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com. what happened to basil collins (: Did you know Jo Alice Chitwood or Lance Johnson? Maybe they just didnt have much else to do. Basil Collins They just hang around and complain. I am still Harlan County thru and thru. If youre spending the night in Harlan, you probably have family there anyway. We are made to known about his death on September 16, 2020. Anyway, thanks again. I know you as a Harlan Countain and also as a fine person. Holmes mill was actually named after my family. Rest assured that no one in my family considers me a disgrace or embarrassment, but your concern is noted. If we had a problem like that today in my slice of Suburbia, there would be a full-blown panic. I just cant get enough of the haters. I had friend in Sunshine growing up. While my friends and fellow graduates were leaving here, I was happy to stay in a place I loved. I definitely would NOT have fit in. Thats righttheyll pretend. I suggest you search my blog for my many other posts about life in Harlan County. I made another U turn and started back toward Harlan at a much slower pace and was directed to take the Loyall turn off. I get the isolation, and the coal mining( although Boyd , Greenup, and a lot of the others have had some minor strip mining now and then.) Everywhere I go here in Ohio I run into people from Harlan or people who have relatives from there and some still living there. Witness strikebreaker Basil Collins as loathsome a screen villain as fiction ever invented targeting her during a drive-by shooting caught on camera. In fact, I got up this morning with the intent or renewing my research. One can argue that its always been over-populated what with the chronic high unemployment and high poverty rate. They dont like being from Harlan. Harlan County is not on the way to anywhere. . My grandfather worked in the Sunshine mines in the 20s and 30s. U may or may not remember it and I also did alot of the fencing around the many many acres he and ur moms own. Still have family there. I visit very often, as my father still lives there. We have exchanged information over the years. We are our own world. I was raised over the mountain at Little Laurel. He was my English teacherand a good one at that. It was an old theater whose best days had long past. My sister in law was born over in Leatherwood. A rural county of 27,000, Harlan Countys average household income is about $29,000. Both our families are made up of longtime coal miners and school teachers. My Mother, Reba Campbell, was born in Liggett. Daughter has owned her own business in Harlan for thirty years. She agreed. They dont want to sound like Harlan or look like Harlan. | Coal Troll's Blog, I stumbled across your blog and enjoyed much. why dont u come back?i know why ,because it is to political and if your not a doctor or a lawyer or have plenty of money ,you aint shit yeah the mountains are nice and this is a beautiful place, but if you aint in the click you aint shit and thats the way it really is you just like the bloody harlan shit and it makes you look BADASS to tell people your from here .your a joke dude and quit livin off a place that you evidentally really no nothin about ..post this DUMBASS . We got segregation in those years, and I never knew the difference, we all got along. I JUST RAN ACROSS YOUR CONVERSATION AND THOUGHT I WOULD COMMENT ON HARLAN KY. Sadly, they didnt seem to be doing well. You havent had a grilled cheese sandwich until youve had one made with govment cheese, govment butter and fresh Bunny Bread. Read my post about growing up in Loyall sometime. Ive been trying to read up on as much as I can on the people in the documentary. What did he end up doing after the strikes? My younger brother and I were born and raised in Dayton. I just said, hey, he was my neighbor. The county is big, about 50 miles across, but sparsely populated. Sally Simonton. I live in Lee Co,Ky. They had no desire to ever live anywhere else. Like much of Eastern Kentucky, the population has declined for decades. Alternative name. His hair was infamous! Basil was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid, so I know he was Parents moved to Dayton, OH in 63. , well leave the porch light on. You shouldve had to breath half a can of hairspray in the morning after he got out of the bathroom. Im sure they knew each other. I remember commodity butter. My Grandfather/Grandmother was Floyd/Janie Clark. We were just there in July , I love going back to visit. I even remember who it was, but lets let bygones be bygones. Whatever happened to Basil Collins Wiki User 2009-04-27 11:24:22 Study now See answer (1) Best Answer Copy Basil is currently burning eternally within the 7th I have no other information on these two at this time. If so, let me know so I can fill any dates, places, names and information you may furnish to me. In reference to going swimming in the river and the city pool, we did that too. Crackin me up. Thanks for your comments. Its amazing how many of Moms students I still run into. Its bleak. My grandparents, Elve and Flaura Campbell, moved to Sunshine and eventually to Loyall. (LogOut/ Very proud of my heritage. If not, you should. I have lived in Evarts since age 7 this is my home (sals Branch) I had your mom in home Ec. My older brother and sister were both born at Lynch Hospital. Really enjoyed the read. Our client was suing the City of Sandy Hook. I knew some fine people from Smith. Howard and Lucille Leonard are my grandparents. Im pretty sure I remember Lance. My Mother married her high school sweethart Robert Kitts right before he left for the army as WWII started. I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ALL, DO ANY OF YOU REMEMBER A LITTLE BLIND MAN THAT USE TO SELL NEWS PAPERS IN THE LOBBY OF THE HARLAN HOSPITAL? And of course, I mean that in a funny, I`m laughing kind of way. Also as a child there was a Ski Lodge and slopes on Black Mountain. I have a heavy heavy accent. Oh, well. I didnt mean to turn my comment into a mini blog, but you inspired the flood of memories! Havent lived there since the late 70s, but Harlan is always home. Weve been in the Lexington area since then, but we still say back home when we are talking about Neon and Jenkins. what happened to basil collins You dont see that every day. I was born and raised in Leslie County. WebThis option will reset the home page of this site. My grandad lived and mined Stone Ky, in Pike County. Basil Collins - Wikipedia I aint convinced about mccounty Thanks. We drive Chryslers, BMWs, Honda Van, Subaru sports car, Chevy pick-up, Harleys, Hondas, Yamaha V-stars-4-wheelers. Basil Collins Harlan County Obituary | Death | Basil Collins Dead | Died | Funeral Plans - We heard about the great loss, that Basil Collins is no more and On this criterion, Robertson County would qualify, but again, its just too far north. We still miss it! IM RETIRED AND LIVE IN TN NOW BUT I GO BACK TO HARLAN ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. I graduated in 71 from JACHS. As you know we lived near Evarts. Jeanette McKendrick Leonard was my Me-maw and the best lady you to have ever been born! None of my schools still exist. I dont know exactly when died, but it was sometime in the 1980s. Thanks for letting me rant. Lynch had a skating rink when I was a teenager. I had to laugh at your reference to government cheese. It really was good stuff! How do we know they dont live in a ghetto. Stumbled across your post. Mrs Abraham was my Home Ec teacher @Hall High. Born and raised in Cumberland.I live in Florida now loved your article.Proud of my roots! I went for a while to Holy Trinity School, Harlan Elementary for one year, then to Hall before Cawood. ha! Garys was a fun place. Myself, Im from Loyall which is three miles from the town of Harlan. Mostly, we didnt do much, because there wasnt much to do. My Mom taught at Evarts from 1951 to 1980.