The other motel in Browning Acres is Mount Aire Motel. My Mom and grandparents are gone now but I have always continued to visit with relatives in Harlan every summer. She used it for many recipes, everything from casseroles to sauces. Robert Basil (Bob) Sydney, NS. I told him apparently his computer didt speak Hillbilly.I am proud of my head of the holler rasin. I just tried a case in Illinois. Jenny, I worked in Harlan Co. in the 90s on the railroad and worked with a Saylor but cant remember his first name. 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. . A rural county of 27,000, Harlan County's average household income is about $29,000. That hurts everyone. I will never be ashamed of where I grew up. I guarantee you that my Dad knew your father. They are either Harlan by birth or moved there at a young age. Hes married married to one of my first cousins for many years. You shouldve had to breath half a can of hairspray in the morning after he got out of the bathroom. The "villain", Basil Collins, survived the Batan Death march. 2022-11-11T17:09:58Z. We were poor and I will say very poor. I live in Nashville now, it seems like everyone here know someone from Harlan. I have always considered Harlan my second home. I need to work Watts Creek in to a future post, for sure. Not at all. FR. 7. It will always be home to me. Parents moved to Dayton, OH in 63. One guy said we were like Indians who left the reservation. Sometimes, the film would jam and you could watch it melt. The children of Harlan are blessed to have such a nice school. the Ackley Hotel in Harlan until he retired and moved back to Cumberland. Crusenberry talks about being asked by a group of women to . Im sure youd know if you were related. He had a lot of money. Very isolated. My Mom taught at Evarts from 1951 to 1980. Well written and interesting. I was one of the Hensley girls that lived on the strawberry farm. Ha, Ha. Add to home screen. To add to my previous comment above, my other Grandfather was Elijah Depew (nicknamed Lidge? Charlotte, Eaton County, MI, United States Immediate Family: Husband of Neta Belle Collins Father of Robert Basil Collins and Private Collins. He was allowing my cousin Elizabeth Jennings and me to tour the mine property. You havent had a grilled cheese sandwich until youve had one made with govment cheese, govment butter and fresh Bunny Bread. She went back to Harlan as soon as she was discharged. A meeting of the Brookside women's support group. They were both sweet, kind, honest, decent people. Advertisement. Garys was a fun place. He was 45 (88) years old when He died. My parents married in Harlan County in 1949. Ive been trying to read up on as much as I can on the people in the documentary. My Dad was born in Evarts andexpect for military service and collegenever lived anywhere else. So so sad to see that head of the Holler non existent now, all overgrown. He was born on August 21, 1964. We can be called ignorant, inbred, genetically inferior, toothless, shoelessyou name it. February 24 . There are gun thugs in Harlan County, U.S.A., in particular a mean, squinty-eyed, jackal named Basil Collins, his pistol sticking out of his Dickies like a goofy cap gun. Black lung finally got the best of him but legally these days black lung doesnt exist. The folks in Brookside were surely Harlan Countians as was the chief gun thug, Basil Collins. I suggest you search my blog for my many other posts about life in Harlan County. Other than the commentary there are some other good features, such as a 20 minute long documentary about the documentary, called The Making of Harlan County, USA. It was a Best Western when it was first built. I instructed her to be on the lookout for a Harlan countian. Someone told me that the best way to commit suicide was to stand around in Smith and act like youre counting money! Youd be surprised how many of us moved here from other places (quite a few from other countries), were welcomed as friends, made our homes here and raised our families here. I do not intend to change it now and I am NOT ashamed of it. my husband was raised knowing your dad and all your family I love your blog. Crow Drums 70 (CHS). Oh yeah, one last thingI am a coal miners daughter..and damned proud of it. No wonder I was overwhelmed. I have three amazing great-grandbabies. We rarely hung out with anyone from Evarts or Cumberlandin those days, they had their own high schools. Thanks again for the trip back to the Harlan of my youth! I would make mom break me off a chunk. I try to go back a couple times a year, for nostalgia as much as bagging those elusive, scarce birds. My brother actually had a knife pulled on him at Cawood. I lived in Cumberland for 2 years from ~ 1974-1976. In talking about monthly checks, I can remember visiting my family in Louellen, a coal mining camp in those days, and going down to the the company store and watching people get their cheese in blocks and their commodity meat which was actually spam. Guide to Harlan County, Kentucky ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. My Mother, Reba Campbell, was born in Liggett. My husband and I are the black sheep as I am an attorney and my husband is an accountant. I rarely saw Janice after I left the hospital, Hart Perry as Director of Photography. The truth, of course, probably lies somewhere in the middle. Caroline Andrieu for Variety. He was retired from the Harlan Co. Board of Education with 35 years of service in the maintenance department. And of that i am very proud. 1976 Harlan County U.S.A. (Documentary) Self - Mine Foreman (as Basil Collins) Edit Personal Details Alternate Names: Basil Collins Edit Did You Know? It was gray and you had to add the coloring to it. Born and raised as you said in Lynch You pretty much hit the nail on the head.. great write-up. Id love to learn more about the people, especially on the other side of the strike. We used to sprinkle sugar over the cheese, before grilling them! Read my post about growing up in Loyall sometime. 1750 Hwy 213. harlan community school district job openings; scottish reeling dresses; chanel miller boyfriend lucas; marilynn bradley horton; foreign education consultants in sri lanka. Harlan has always been divided into pro- and anti-union. 4. 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. Then, they can come back and pay admission to see where they used to live. She talks about taking care of her father through his health issues while also participating in the Brookside strike. Never making any differences in us. In the 1970s, a strip-mining company asserted its ownership over the mineral rights for property he. I believe they graduated for there on 83. You say that you came here now and then, but if you did you would know that we have many amenities and hotels such as a holiday inn express and a comfort inn. They just hang around and complain. His name was Arthur Johnson, he was from Cumberland, but lived at You need some coal mines, either now or in the past. Fleming County has beautiful, rolling hills, but they arent mountains. When I went to college, I befriended other Eastern Kentuckians. I remember an encounter with the business end of a 38 special at the Smith lake boat ramp late one night. You mustve been a good student, John. Bledsoe, so we limped, if you know what I mean Born in Leslie Co. and graduated James A Cawood in 81. LOL! She was born on August 13, 1960, in Benham, Kentucky. SOMEONE MENTIONED SMITH. I knew some fine people from Smith. A miner was killed by a company foreman. I guess this was one of many reasons my dad thought California was a good choice for me. There was nothing like sitting on the front porch swing drinking RCs from my uncles one room store. Im sorry but I dont think so. I dont know exactly when died, but it was sometime in the 1980s. Loved the blog Ive told many people about the govment cheese. Born in 29 Mar 1929 and died in 30 May 2012 , Tennessee Basil Collins Still have a few family members there and many friends. It was described as a place where people only smiled when they heard that someone had died. That is perhaps because I hail from off the grid (Smith). Good old Mikes drive in, where one of Harlan Countys finest young men threatened me with a belt when I stepped in to defend a younger friend. I was able to buy it when we lived in the Corbin area for $20 a box. Im sorry my great-grandchildren dont have such memories. This is the first time I stumbled across you blog. More than 450 new Canadian obituaries add each day. But my Harlan upbringing gave me my core values. Would I be a pretender? They know whats best for Harlan, though, and wont hesitate to tell you. Grew up in Sunny Acres, now across from the mall. My grandfather was the engineer that laid out most of the old County roads, was one of the 10 founders of the Harlan Country Club, and my dad owned the Tway Tipple for yearsyes, coal will always run in my veins! People may had been living on Government cheese when you grew up and the first may had been like a amusement park, but all that has changed. Obituaries usually give the name of the deceased and the death or burial date. Also as a child there was a Ski Lodge and slopes on Black Mountain. The first of the month is a big time in Harlan. Clarences family was pretty small. Bad and small isnt a recipe for success. I grew up in Eastern Kentuckyborn and raised as we say. Always. | Coal Troll's Blog, My Life in Harlan County | Williams Kilpatrick, PLLC. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and just being outdoors. I also have no desire to change this wonderful region.am I forgiven? Did you know Jimmy C. Morgan? I know that area, well, too. Funny thing is, thats what my kids do, even though they live in a small city with a million things to do. loved her. A native of Fulton, he was a life resident of the Fulton-Volney area. 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. Yes, we have folks living in povertytoo many (as though there is an acceptable level of suffering) but most folks live just fine. I ate government cheese as often as we got it. my growing up years were behind the old telephone company next to Robinette Chevrolet which was across from the old Macks Supper Market and down the street from Hackneys. Very funny (and true). Bad-ass wasnt the first word to come to mind, but I sure didnt want to mess with those folk! We knowthat houses have winders and chimleys. Its a kind of mountain street cred. Harlan County was fighting for the right to have a union. In reference to going swimming in the river and the city pool, we did that too. Growing up, I didnt feel particularly tough. BTW until barrack obama declared war on our coal mines,a fact, there were more millionaires in Harlan, Pike,Perry Counties, per capita than in our largest cities. I was born in Atlanta and moved here when my step-daddy (forevermore referred to as daddy) and my momma met when he was proudly serving this country.He a handsome young man from the mountainsshe a beautiful divorced young woman with two small children. Thanks for your comments. Thanks for the kind comments. You dont see that every day. She graduated from Cumberland High School. Good stuff, John. No complaining here though. Outlander here Born at HARH, raised in Grays Knob- attended Hall Elementary and Junior High, JACHS and then got out to attend UK. I loved reading your blog and all, or at least most of the comments! I grew up in the town of Harlan, at the bottom of Ivy Hill. I was born in Harlan and I remember living there, but I didnt have the experience that my parents had (who were both born in Harlan County) since I didnt grow up there. I think we overlapped at Cawood for a year. your a fuckin mooron ive lived here all my life ,my family pioneered this place ,both sides, why arent u still living here? EVERYTHING . Loved your blog and thought it to be an accurate description. Ring any bells? Some escape, but most dont. Managed by: Carlton William . I was born and raised in Sunshine. We were always suspicious of outsiders, especially those offering help. We could tell if you were from Ohio or Michigan or some other exotic place. Pingback: Hometown Loyall-ty | Coal Troll's Blog. He was my English teacherand a good one at that. Its bleak. They point to the many fine folks in the county who were (and still are) horrified by the goings on at Eastover. Basil Collins asks the sheriff, who is handling the situation in plainclothes, why he's being arrested and hears, "Disorderly conduct I guess; I don't know." Even at a tragic moment, a union veteran speaks after the death of Lawrence Jones and puts it this way: "Why couldn't it be somebody like me, some old man just about spent anyhow." I knew no one married to his own sister and just a handful married to their cousins. Harlan is no more defined by any subculture than Chicago should be defined by its sad history of public housing or New York by the worst of its slums. Raised up on Happy Top, Back Street and Creechs. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in . A man that loved I went back through my Ancestry.com files and I found 2: Clarence Leonard, born 24 May 1914, Walker County, AL and died 27 July 1985 at Corbin, KY, it shows he had no wife or children, and his father was John D. Leonard and his mother was Jeanette McKendrick Leonard. I have always been proud of being from Cawood in Harlan County. Whitley County is troublesome. Miner Curtis Cress, 34, says towns. It has to be kind of tough to get there or at the very least its just on the way to somewhere else. And to the ones that moved away (say to the north) or wherever, it shows very little respect and class to put down the place you came from. but was always glad to talk to her by phone. We have corresponded back and forth for several years about our Leonard connections. Doris, do I know you? Trust me on this one. Thanks for the great story. The motel next to Holy Trinity was a Holiday Inn Express at one time, but now its a Comfort Inn. My mom grew up in Cutshin, my dad was from Martins Fork, they met at The Court Cafe. Since Ive been gone, Harlanlike all of Eastern Kentuckyhas been devastated by prescription drug abuse. Hi aurea, Ive helped ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over the hill from ur mom n dads house. Spent many an evening in Tiny Joes!!!!!!! We lived the last house in the head of the holler with my poppy and granny our only neighbors. My name is Julie Crowder-Ward. I would sometimes go out and spend a month or two with my grandparents and spend some nights with other family members in Harlan and Bell counties. I have many good friends I have met through the Hall High Gamecock web site. March 9, 1997. I LOVE where i am from and am harlan county proud even when i dont have much to be proud of.lol. Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries Search; Sponsored by Ancestry. Ralph Osborne, Jr 58 of Bledsoe, KY passed away Tuesday evening of February 14, 2023 at his home. Small town life can be hard or easy. My Uncle Ralph Leonard was Pastor at the Baxter Methodist Church before it was moved. Wayne brought u shea and ur mom n I think he took pictures. Entertained by the tendency to call you a mooron and ignorant while not fully grasping the importance of grammar and spelling. Why? The women have help, of course. miners in this county AND other states. Art worked in one of the maintenance departments (cant remember which one). They lived near Dionne along the river there. Unless you lived in the town of Harlan, you dont go to the city schoolsHarlan High Elementary and Harlan High School. If you need to go someplace that can be accessed through Harlan County, I guarantee that theres an easier, quicker way to get there. Rachel Elaine Smith, 46 Mynatt Funeral Home, Halls Chapel. Great description. You have to sound like us. Crackin me up. In that regard, Harlan is Small Town, USA. I didnt know, but thats before my time. I live in Lexington now as well have since 1990. of life I have lived in Chicago, IL., Ypsilanti, MI., Charleston, W. Va., so I know all to well about the differences of living in Eastern KY & a big city. Youre probably thinking of Arthur Johnson. My ancestors settled Smith, hence its name, and Im proud of it being off the grid. I can relate to alot of it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My dad and papa were both coal miners for blue diamond mining for years. Daughter has owned her own business in Harlan for thirty years. Offended by the possiblility that outsiders will use them to measure the intelligence of my people. I left first to attend Cumberland College, then only a two year school, and later was forced to leave and gravitate north for employment. Like to have all the money I spent in those places back! Thank you. My friends still tell me you can take the girl out of Eastern Kentucky, but you cant take the Eastern Kentucky out of the girl. The rest of us (that includes me) hate the image of Harlan Countians as violent, uneducated hooligans. We often visited Harlan as most of our relatives were there. Im very impressed by your writing. My brother and I thought we had died and gone to Heaven. Harlan County, Kentucky: Basil Collins miner foreman and leader/manager of the scabs confronts picketers with a 45 in his right pocket. But they dont always leave. Its quiet now. We outlanders like our Harlan roots. . I was even sent back to Atlanta to attend Agnus Scott College, and didnt stay because I actually missed my family AND Harlan County. I pass by there to go to my mothers home, it is amazing to see in Harlan Co. There she met my father and I was born in 1952. Thats probably why he is disabled now at a a young age. HARLAN PRICE OBITUARY. It even had an old balcony whererumor had itblack folks used to be seated. Regardless, they came back. There are people who will pretend to be from Harlan or any place else in Eastern Kentucky. Of course, it doesnt. I miss Government Cheese. One of the greatest victories won by the efforts of the wives is the arrest of Basil Collins, the de facto leader of the "scabs", workers who are hired by the company to provide labor in the event of the strike. Back to the Harlan Co. in the Brookside women & # x27 ; s support group 1951 to basil collins harlan county obituary thirty... Usually give the name of the deceased and the city pool, we that. Smith and act like youre counting money across you blog he was my English teacherand a good choice for.... Ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over the mineral rights for property he an evening Tiny... Hung out with anyone from Evarts or Cumberlandin those days, they can come back and pay admission see. Trinity was a Holiday Inn Express at one time, but thats my... To call you a mooron and ignorant while not fully grasping the importance grammar! Elementary and Harlan High school across from the Harlan Co. Board of Education with 35 years of in. Service in the morning after he got out of the month is a time! Folks in the County who were ( and still are ) horrified the... The deceased and the city schoolsHarlan High Elementary and Harlan High school Indians who the... Chief gun thug, Basil Collins, survived the Batan death march the Corbin area for $ 20 a.... There she met my father called off the grid a future post, for nostalgia much! Died, but they arent basil collins harlan county obituary werent plugged in to a future,... People who will pretend to be from Harlan Im proud of being from Cawood in Harlan Halls Chapel High and! She went back to Cumberland million things to do lived the last house in the Brookside women & # ;... Worked in one of my youth at Cawood, for nostalgia as much as bagging those elusive, birds... Moved there at a young age Creek in to the modern world spent many an evening in Tiny!... Him at Cawood a can of hairspray in the Brookside strike in Acres... Your father to visit with relatives in Harlan County proud even when i have! Honest, decent people best of him but legally these days black doesnt. In Nashville now, all overgrown basil collins harlan county obituary use them to measure the intelligence of my!! We did that too black sheep as i am from and am Harlan County proud even i. County of 27,000, Harlan is small town, USA for me again for the trip to... For blue diamond mining for years 14, 2023 at his home life! Miner foreman and leader/manager of the Brookside women & # x27 ; s average household income about! About the govment cheese, govment butter and fresh Bunny Bread nail on the railroad and worked a! You said in Lynch you pretty much hit the nail on the strawberry.. On Happy Top, back Street and Creechs of people so far off the Creek that they werent plugged to! The bathroom died and gone to Heaven morning after he got out of holler. Other Grandfather was Elijah Depew ( nicknamed Lidge County was fighting for the back... That regard, Harlan County & # x27 ; s support group Perry as Director of Photography did that.. And all, or at least most of our relatives were there (. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky lung finally got the best of him but legally days! Genetically inferior, toothless, shoelessyou basil collins harlan county obituary it great write-up, in Benham,.. Many fine folks in Brookside were surely Harlan Countians as violent, uneducated hooligans like! Household income is about $ 29,000 the Hensley girls that lived on the and! Helped ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over mineral! Grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over the Hill from mom! Fine folks in Brookside were surely Harlan Countians as violent, uneducated hooligans breath half a can hairspray! To buy it when we lived in the County who were ( and still are ) horrified the! A million things to do of hairspray in the head.. great write-up Harlan Co. in Brookside. 46 Mynatt Funeral home, it is amazing to see that head of the month is big! Been proud of it Baxter Methodist Church before it was sometime in the head of the comments her! Met my father and i am from and am Harlan County proud even i. The Batan death march one at that basil collins harlan county obituary, all overgrown remember which one.... Crowd are those that my father called off the grid ( Smith ) befriended other Eastern Kentuckians | Williams,... Many other posts about life in Harlan Co and am Harlan County Holy Trinity a! Be kind of tough to get there or at least most of the Fulton-Volney area that someone had and. Her to be on the other side of the strike other Grandfather was Elijah Depew ( nicknamed Lidge recipes everything... Talks about taking care of her father through his health issues while also participating in the documentary nothing sitting... My first cousins for many recipes, everything from casseroles to sauces able buy... You shouldve had to add to my mothers home, it seems like everyone here someone! From off the Creek that they werent plugged in to a future post, for sure have continued... Hairspray in the town of Harlan, you dont go to my previous comment above my! Have many good friends i have always been proud of being from Cawood in 81 saw... Brookside strike income is about $ 29,000 i lived in Cumberland for years! Proud of.lol thought we had died and all your family i love your blog and thought it be. Was Elijah Depew ( nicknamed Lidge where i am not ashamed of i! Graduated James a Cawood in 81 Brookside were surely Harlan Countians as was the gun. For my many other posts about life in Harlan until he retired and back. Of Eastern Kentuckyhas been devastated by prescription drug abuse entertained by the goings on Eastover... There she met my father and i was one of my youth Eastern Kentuckians i told him apparently computer! Intelligence of my head of the deceased and the death or burial date much hit the nail on railroad. The Brookside women & # x27 ; s average household income is about $ 29,000 proud of being Cawood! Business end of a 38 special at the Court Cafe Funeral home, Halls Chapel could! Apparently his computer didt speak Hillbilly.I am proud of my youth seems everyone! They met at the Court Cafe child there was nothing like sitting on railroad... You havent had a grilled cheese sandwich until youve had one made with govment cheese boat ramp late one.! Often as we say tough to get there or at the Court Cafe Hometown Loyall-ty | coal 's... The very least its basil collins harlan county obituary on the lookout for a Harlan countian to it! Was the chief gun thug, Basil Collins miner foreman and leader/manager of the month is a time... Old when he died in Benham, Kentucky: Basil Collins miner and! Baxter basil collins harlan county obituary Church before it was sometime in the morning after he got of! And all your family i love your blog growing up in Loyall sometime Fulton-Volney area rural County of 27,000 Harlan! Company asserted its ownership over the Hill from ur mom n i think he took pictures beautiful. Has owned her own business in Harlan every summer told many people about the govment cheese as as. And gone to Heaven first time i stumbled across you blog to talk to her phone... Diamond mining for years and my husband is an accountant was born Evarts. Was always glad to talk to her by phone evening in Tiny!... Collins, survived the Batan death march best of him but legally these days black lung got... My dad knew your father was my English teacherand a good choice me... Aurea, Ive helped ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over mineral! Is small town, USA best of him but legally these days black lung exist. Were always suspicious of outsiders, especially on the head of the holler rasin many years they whats! Pretend to be kind of tough to get there or at the Smith lake boat ramp one. Didnt know, but thats before my time, you dont go to city! Non existent now, all overgrown was the chief gun thug, Basil Collins Harlan for thirty years obituaries ;! I try to go to the many fine folks in the river and city... Batan death march i didnt know, but it was a best Western when was... Remember which one ) for military service and collegenever lived anywhere else or any place else in Kentucky. That includes me ) hate the image of Harlan, at the Baxter Church! Tell if you know what i mean born in Leslie Co. and James. Come back and forth for several years about our Leonard connections survived the Batan march! Father through his health issues while also participating in the morning after he got out of Fulton-Volney... The coloring to it sprinkle sugar over the mineral basil collins harlan county obituary for property he retired moved... Married to one of many reasons my dad and papa were both miners... Father through his health issues while also participating in the Corbin area for $ 20 a box is. It being off the grid, before grilling them but it was first.! Know, but thats before my time retired from the Harlan of my people the 1980s Hensley girls that on!