The Dunglen HotelThe Dunglen Hotel
During the post-Civil War coal boom in West Virginia, many new towns were founded to serve the coal industry and the railroads that hauled that coal to market. One of
Category: The 1890’s
Bad Talt HallBad Talt Hall
Talt Hall had a very interesting life. Born and raised in eastern Kentucky, he had been a Confederate soldier, a deputy sheriff, a U. S. Marshal, a feudist, a railroad
Bristol’s Other Train StationBristol’s Other Train Station
Most folks are familiar with the Bristol, Virginia Train Station, located at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd and State Street. That station has been the source of much
General John D. ImbodenGeneral John D. Imboden
Lawyer, politician, Confederate general, land developer, promoter of coal and the founder of the town of Damascus, Virginia. All these jobs were held by one man for whom a mine
French, The Alderson LionFrench, The Alderson Lion
The latter part of the 19th century was the golden age of the circus in America. A traveling circus with its acrobats, wild animals and the sideshow was an attraction
Buried Alive – The Story of Octavia HatcherBuried Alive – The Story of Octavia Hatcher
James Hatcher married Octavia Smith in Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1889. The couple had a son, Jacob, who died shortly after his birth and Octavia soon spiraled into a deep depression
UMW District 17 Formed – April 21, 1890UMW District 17 Formed – April 21, 1890
On January 25th, 1890, the United Mine Workers union was formed at a convention in Columbus, Ohio. The new union was formed by the merger of two older unions, the
Death By PsychicDeath By Psychic
At the turn of the 20th century, a Kentucky man obsessed with spiritualism, fortune-telling, seances and speaking to the dead, was convinced to marry a “psychic” and give her all
Cap Hatfield’s RunCap Hatfield’s Run
Over 120 years ago one of Devil Anse Hatfield’s sons made his escape from a Williamson, West Virginia, jail. How he got in that jail, why he escaped and where
The Coal Creek WarThe Coal Creek War
One of the first labor uprisings in the coal industry happened in the 1890’s, in Coal Creek, Tennessee. The miners were forced to compete with prison labor, at much less