West Of West Virginia - Full Documentary

[Music] now I'm we're stop West Virginia moving on through Tennessee and the mine misty memories back tonight 19:50 [Music] here we are Daniel I've been around here a long time all they think about anymore is dope I'd open a damn telephone I heard these women say well why did we'd what did you do for the head telephone what did people do I said I'll tell you what you're done they'd done without we didn't have your powers you're a 49 you know everywhere cold I took your well yeah water was about 56 degrees no yeah that's what that leaves out of Java mountain outer for drive 56 degrees have a bunch of slobs maybe there's a four-room house that we grew up in no indoor plumbing no central heat so we'd have to carry water from the abandoned coal mines we'd have to have cold carry coal in so if we have heat during the day times at home for mom because dad was working day [Music] this is where I went to school I went through the fourth grade here when I started school I could count to ten and I didn't even know my ABCs this is where we got our drinking water it was a enclosed little building had an old manual pump in it and right back over here was the boys outside toilet and over on the other side of the church the girls toilet was over there when the inside we had a about a five gallon stone water cooler and we all had to bring her own drinking cups from home there was no refrigerator we had to bring her own own lunches bag lunches in the middle there was a pot-bellied stove the 1st and 6th grade was on the outsides of that 2nd and 5th was on the inner side and the third and the fourth was closest to the stove so whoever's closest to the stove was always hot and whoever on the outside was always cold and there was a big blackboard ran all the way across the the back of the stub of the wall my last year here was 1965-66 school year and Miss Verna Hudnall she was the teacher she she taught for the 3rd and the 4th grade here in the last year there was 26 students 13 boys and 13 girls I think it was like five of us that started in the first grade and only two of us graduated high school the road in the creek ran together and you were in and out of the creek like 15 20 times between here and the mouth of the hollow which is about two miles down the road so sometimes he's walking in the creek and trying to get up on the side of the road so you wouldn't be in the water and when it rained you it was muddy so you had to try to stay out of the mud the path used to come down from the old road come through the side here and had to jump the creek even to get to school as a pretty good jump for first graders education here it wasn't a priority you know it's just the way it was and when they correct when he got out of 6th grade here they the kids had to walk from where we lived up the hallways it was two miles and it was through the woods on a path to catch the school bus and before that they used to walk across that mountain and catch a train and go to a place called quick-quick high school is down next to Charleston somewhere it was a long day for kids going to school daddy murder to Cincinnati spent his life on the factory line but we never West Virginia in a heart [Music] the better game two things in order that's why the doctor said but I won't spend my final hour in some cold and lonely bed now I'm Starla's Virginia moving on three Tennessee and the man mr. Bentley's back tonight 1950 when we've his kids until dad put water in the house that was after I left home in 1974 there's an abandoned coal mine right out here to the left of us we used to have to carry water up this hill and we would Saturday was Washington we carried water all day long in two gallon sink there's beside the garden where my dad he plowed the road and I drew the sparkling water how many times nobody knows [Music] there's a field where Bobby Baker fought for the and of Ellen black [Music] Oh and he enlisted Eddie one coming back now mom stop West Virginia moving on through Tennessee and the mine misty memories back tonight when did you move here I've been here all my life I was born here where were you born at right down there in that old house October the 14th 1933 well I come up it was in the Hoover's time you couldn't get enough late these people run you now they don't know what hard time was if he didn't raise it you didn't get of course he wasn't no work and nobody had no money to live separate he raised all your food he lays cold and stuff for the channel where to milk cows and we had the chickens and two homes so we had on me milk um butter and eggs no power by Tara for that water comes out we used to go inside there and we had that water there I'm let my fish and that's what that's for the milk stay gonna keep it cool in a fur coat and walk it off twice a week we had to charge without her own boat you know they get potatoes we raise your down you had John Young say hung in the barn off when you told them big ol onions Oh break it to be mommy can to beat and the green bees keep spending two tubs of green vineyards out on that yard put out a washing and cooking meals like I'm talking about the washer with a little hanging washboard you don't like kids you know yeah this was like the end of 48 49 and 50 see it's three mines around over hi Lane coal company was one herbin Hill had two mounds there always had post for them and he me to drive a horse and help bus to post we put full 100 days on that stat we work five days and a half he give me $18 I bring it right down on Elim oh really oh yeah yeah they're something buy groceries yes but $18 is like $100 ma'am maybe you oughta more [Music] you can't buy these chips breezes like in late forties fifties and sixties being seen for the slightest book all that ring them off and that's what you light holders the Carolinas face it ought to come across your head these is a locale actually do by warning I don't never bothers Hester probably folks understand section ten years I would cover it up with his kappa tastes downing they had me matched unity beside that big Lauder they'd had my head nice between my legs he busted my clothes not Jeff stone yella thirst and then it turned green that's reaching my neck cracks and snow I yeah it sounds like book from gravestown before that done it oh yeah it was for what two weeks I couldn't get my hands up to people myself oh yeah they had that they had to put stuff in my mouth dangerous work huh a coal mine is I worked right after 25 years from carbide I made six hills in 25 years now I walked up loader up that thing 500 feet I'd done every day woke it up events they'd come in and watch me I said it's just again I like it I said I like what [Music] this up here hasn't changed you know just defense and more people we used to come up here every year and cut this old off not to me people take care of the cemetery anymore there's some pretty old stones here dad might know who they are I know I don't know who any other more just no one no one knows who they are now you know yeah I remember that guy there that trolls root hmm I can remember him uncle Larry dad's brother he's buried right here the uncle Larry told me my first chords on the guitar yeah my grandpa and grandmother they're buried here when pop all died I thought I lost him my best friend I ever had he he'd let me drive his truck I took care of him while he was sick and I was only 16 and 17 years old at the time my youngest brother right here he was born in October 13th 1964 dyed Thanksgiving morning 1964 I can still see my dad working with him giving him CPR I think that's when we started realizing death I was I was eight years old when he died and then this is my other brother John Allen he he got killed in a logging accident that really devastated the whole family oh yeah it devastated dad dad's still devastated from it some things you never get over [Music] through the tears of my dear Jenny the doctor softly said he's gone now I'm way last of West Virginia and I'm fine [Music] I've heard you say before you want to leave home because you didn't want to be a coal miner or a logger yeah and you know your brother was a logger and he got killed and over there is Bubbe who got killed in the mines not a rage right Bobby was a like a third cousin second or third cousin he got killed in a coal mine I said my brother he got killed in logger I didn't want to be either one of those I wanted to be 40 years old and able to breathe because I see my dad at 40 years old and he would call and you start coughing really bad and he would spit and it would be black and I'm like that's not for me I want to be able to breathe here I'm 62 and I can still breathe I breathe real good I wanted to be a machinist and a welder and that's the career I pursued and there was no work here you know you've seen you have to drive all the way to Charleston just to to get a job there's nothing alone what happened you know when the coal mines struck going down everything around here fed off the coal mines when the coal mine industry started going down everything else went and Yama's go in the mines nope I I was set up for an interview and job applications but I just decided I wasn't going I called uncle Larry and Tom and them talk to them told me I was going to come up and they said well come on we'll make room for you and they did plus mom all kept coming down here every year telling us about this pretty little girl lived across the street from London me and Buddy here and my brother Kenny we were setting up in the barn loft drinking homemade blackberry wine but the dad didn't know anything about and I told him I'm gonna go up and date that little girl and sure enough I didn't know got three years later we got married and it meant three children and that grandchildren out oh now that's I never thought that would come to pass but it did everybody found last night I tell me what I did I thought no no they won't [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music]

Channel: ProfessorDan

Views: 492,785

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Id: _nPQE1jXIvQ

Length: 18min 1sec (1081 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 22 2018