We began our day at the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum with a tour from a man who spent 28 years in a coal mine and grew up in Benham, a coal mining town set up by a steel corporation (sorry, my mind is blanking on which one!). This meant the company built this town and owned all the homes and buildings and stores. The tour was super awesome because it explained how mining has changed over time and made it a very personal experience to see how life changed and how life prospered in these towns-especially since these towns are in a depression now.
From the museum we made our way up the mountain a bit more to Portal 31 which was an operation coal mine from the 20's to 1963. And we got to go inside! You sit in the little train thing that use to carry people and coal inside the mine and you move through history as you move through the mine. And once again you get to see the advances in mining from using horses and single workers to teams of workers and ultimately machines to do all the mining. This mine exhibit was created by volunteers and is a testament to this towns passion for their heritage.
Another testament is The Bulldog Room. A room of Lynch High School memorabilia that was created by a single man and his wife when they saw the conditions of the memorabilia in city hall. It's now a room full of class pictures and letterman jackets and school newspapers and amazing things like this. I am constantly amazed by these people and their passion for their community. I think this is a passion that is so often overlooked in modern society and I think that's unfortunate because being part of a loving community makes your life so much better. You have a place to belong.
To round out our morning we found this coffee house right across from Portal 31. And let me tell you. We were some happy campers. Real coffee and Wi-Fi - the way to all college kids hearts. But it turns out this coffeehouse is the old mine restaurant that served the miners and their families. And on top of that it is owned by a ministry that reopened it with the goal to create jobs for the community. It was a full circle feeling that we happened to find this coffee shop that was there to help the community. Just like us.
-Alex
After the much needed energy booster, we proceeded to lunch at a quaint BnB which we learned was actually a school back in the day. After a delicious meal, we were given a tour of the Schoolhouse Inn, where we saw how what used to be classrooms were transformed into rooms. It was interesting how once the school closed down, the building was not left to ruins, but actually used to enhance the community’s economy.
After lunch, we drove up to Black Mountain, which is the highest point in Kentucky at 4,145 feet. When we finally got to the top, it was too foggy to see anything. Our surrounding was completely enveloped in a white blanket. It was nice to see that no one in our team was deterred by that fact and enjoyed that experience just the same as we would have done if we could see the valley below us. After a short drive, we later arrived at the South East Kentucky Community College, where we were taken on a tour of the Appalachian Center, where Beth, a Professor of Appalachian Studies gave all of us a better idea of the history of the area. We also got to see some really amazing photographs and artwork related to the area!
The latter part of our evening was spent at Kingdom Come State Park, which was at the top of Pine Mountain. The view of the town with the the surrounding mountains veiled in a curtain of fog took out breath away. Mr. Roger, our park ranger, gave us a detailed description of the park and surrounding environment. He also did a hilarious reenactment of an encounter he had with a black bear! We then did a quarter mile hike to a natural bridge created by sandstone. Just spending time in the fresh mountain air was a refreshing experience for all of us, since we are too used to the hustle bustle of Maryland. Hiking in the park was the cherry on top of an amazing day of immersing ourselves in the culture of Harlan.
-Sandaru
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