I live in Lexington, but always tell people Im from Southeastern Kentucky, Knox Co (not to be confused with just Eastern KY or Knott Co. He told The Sun on Sunday: "His real name was Basil and his nickname was always Val. I guess you can tell by my rant that I CANNOT stand anyone putting this beautiful part of Gods earth down. John Like you, I loved growing up there but couldnt see myself living there now. I couldnt quit reading it. Thanks for letting me rant. We lived the last house in the head of the holler with my poppy and granny our only neighbors. Its boring. 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. Theres nothing to do. So much that even some locals have a hard time understanding me. She was retired from the Harlan County Board of Education, where she worked at the Wallins School. She graduated from Cumberland High School. The children of Harlan are blessed to have such a nice school. Nancy Baker as Editor. He had a lot of money. SOMEONE MENTIONED SMITH. Even though life was very hard at times, it was filled with family and friends and its been fun thinking about them this morning. Wayne brought u shea and ur mom n I think he took pictures. My ancestors settled Smith, hence its name, and Im proud of it being off the grid. Crew. Theres no future. I just cant get enough of the haters. My brother actually had a knife pulled on him at Cawood. You need some coal mines, either now or in the past. We were poor and I will say very poor. I go there to visit, and it has improved somewhat, but I like my central Ky home in LaRue county much better. Unless you lived in the town of Harlan, you dont go to the city schoolsHarlan High Elementary and Harlan High School. Any of that sound familiar, Pingback: SoWhere Are You From? Thanks for the article. I was born, raised and still live in Pike County. Kevin Keating as Director of Photography. I definitely would NOT have fit in. 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). Disability checks. I am sure he is talking about when he grew up and how times were then I am from Harlan live here now .I loved the article and havent read anything disrespectful . In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Oswego County Hospice, P.O. Harlan County U.S.A. They dont want to sound like Harlan or look like Harlan. 3. I have always been proud of being from Cawood in Harlan County. We like being the badasses of Eastern Kentucky. I too are from Harlan I left in Jan. 1975. Its quiet now. It is a tragedy what Black Jewell Coal company has done to honest, hard working coal I do think this is good stuff. Bloody Harlan is just badass. Dickens said it best . 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 have been gone from Harlan now for 40 years, One thing I will say is you are accurate in your writings of Harlan. Harlan County USAdivides us into two groups: Those that love it and those that hate it. I must say it is a great read. Harlan County. "I bought him out after seven. I was up at Holmes Mill just a few months ago. Thank you. All thats left is the yard and that light. Phyllis Lorene Gardenhire 82, of Salina passed away, Friday, February 17, 2023. I went to college and had personal and professional opportunities that pulled me away. Im sure youd know if you were related. This is where Norma lives, was the reply. HA! So you see, all of this rambling I have just done is to state the obvious because you have made us sound like we are backwoods, unlearned, in-bred no accounts. My grandad lived and mined Stone Ky, in Pike County. I have to admit that I enjoy the irony of a sentence like Your ignorant., Its like the guy who commented that Im a fuckin mooron.. I dont need tattoos, i have scars. Thank you so much for sharing. It rated right up there with his song about Jim and Tammy Baker, pretty good actually. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Barbara Kopple Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Barbara Kopple . U take car cuz. Im from Tennessee (save your boos for later, lol) and grew up in a very small, rural town with a lot of off the grid inhabitants. . Thanks for the kind words. So so sad to see that head of the Holler non existent now, all overgrown. Collins starts flinging the N-word at a black miner at one point, apparently to make himself come off as that much more evil. Nominally a documentary about the 1973 strike by Kentucky mineworkers, the 1976 Oscar-winning Harlan County U.S.A. observes the evolution of a movement, made urgent . Required fields are marked *. A full obituary will follow in The Daily Star. When she made this movie, Kopple was one of the bravest filmmakers working. Eastern Ky is not privvy to divorce is it?? The experiences never leave me about growing up poor and the shame and humiliation that I felt as a child. While my friends and fellow graduates were leaving here, I was happy to stay in a place I loved. I have been told that he worked harder than 3 men. I told him apparently his computer didt speak Hillbilly.I am proud of my head of the holler rasin. Ruth Ann was my older brothers age. He was born on August 21, 1964. Do you think either one of these fits into your family. We always found lots of mutual interest things to gab about. NEAR CLOSPLINT KY AND I AM PROUD TO BE FROM HARLAN CO THAT IS HOME ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN CORBIN KY NOW. I love the fact she loves a mountain boy, just like her Momma did:) This is a great article!! That brings back fond memories. They lived near Dionne along the river there. These folks are Harlan Countians, but they dont like it. Kevin, Sarah (parents) and Grace (daughter age 12) Hendrix of Corbin Kentucky were shot and killed by Jason Hendrix, their son and Grace's brother. We knowthat houses have winders and chimleys. Im sorry my great-grandchildren dont have such memories. I was in her class the day JFK was shot in Dallas. I ate government cheese as often as we got it. Glad that youre happy in whatever metro area you moved to. Absolutely loved this!! She retired in 1982. I spent a lot of hours and burned up a lot of powder and boot leather grouse hunting in Pathfork and Black Star. Your Great Grandfather John D. and my Grandfather Brack H. were brothers and my Grandmother Geanie and your Great Grandmother Jeanette were sisters. Great article!! The ones who love it love the depiction of rough and ready union brothers and sisters ready to wage war with the coal company thugs. She was born March 29, 1940, in Oakley, Kansas, She was preceded in death by her parents; Laurence and Leona . Coal mining runs in cycles. Raised with his brother Dale and cousins. I need a shirt like that. This was the day that I learned that when we turned the corner at Pineville, my wife changed languages and I needed an translator.. This has been the driver to be obsessive about work and a career. The good ones liked my Dad if not, oh well. Clarences family was pretty small. Btw, the Mount Victory part of this county feels very Eastern KY. Just found the blog and enjoyed it. ENJOYED YOUR ARTICLE, WOULDNT TRADE THE PLACE I GREW UP FOR ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD . I was born in Pineville, Ky but grew up in Pathfork. There are doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, coaches, laborers, deadbeats and criminals. Welfare checks. . Getting Started | Contributor Zone Contribute to This Page Edit page Clear your history McCreary just has that Eastern Kentucky feel to it. I was one of the Hensley girls that lived on the strawberry farm. Plaster would fall from the ceiling and you could throw popcorn on the stage in front of the screen and watch the rats scurry out to eat. Regardless, they came back. The hills and hollers made me who I am today and the people I love still call Eastern Kentucky home. My dad spent much of childhood there in the 30s. Remember all the men that used to hang out around the courthouse, sitting on the little wall? Ive been trying to read up on as much as I can on the people in the documentary. Someone told me that the best way to commit suicide was to stand around in Smith and act like youre counting money! I LOVE where i am from and am harlan county proud even when i dont have much to be proud of.lol. Im not from Kentucky saw this blog post through a friends facebook but Ive really enjoyed reading it and the comments! We knew who it was, because he told my mom about the encounter, but he was quietly scary, like a lot of the men from his era. Region. If we had a problem like that today in my slice of Suburbia, there would be a full-blown panic. harlan community school district job openings; scottish reeling dresses; chanel miller boyfriend lucas; marilynn bradley horton; foreign education consultants in sri lanka. And hell, I was taken at knife-point down into the creek at Hall when I was in 6th grade. Loyallhad a school, a railroad yard, one stop light, a movie theater (at one time), the Corner Store (a genuinesoda shop), a gas station, a barber and a couple of stores. Why turn here, I ask? My Mom and grandparents are gone now but I have always continued to visit with relatives in Harlan every summer. I cant read some of these posts because of the negative way they talk about MY hometown. We are made to known about his death on September 16, 2020. I was in Harlan last October, visiting my aunt that still lives there and yes, my sister and I had a lovely stay at the Comfort Inn! Most of them have never even been to Ky let alone Harlan. She was 30 (now 76) years old. Good to hear from you. Take care! There are a few folks who left and dont care to ever hear of Harlan again, but thats true of all small towns. I-64 runs through Montgomery, Bath, Rowan and Carter Counties. I am also thankful for the brief time that I knew my grandmother on Turner Hill who taught me how to grow strawberries, to make jelly, string shuck beans, quilt, crochet. I attended LoyallElementary and Junior High and James A. Cawood High School. Janice Kaye Banks, 72 of Premium, passed away Tuesday, February 7, 2022, at the Greg and Noreen Wells Hospice Care Center in Hazard, Ky. Janice was the daughter of the late Ben and Edith Smith Ratliff. The late Norman Smith was a classmate of mine at JACHS. Our teeth arent all that bad, although mine arent great. We drive Chryslers, BMWs, Honda Van, Subaru sports car, Chevy pick-up, Harleys, Hondas, Yamaha V-stars-4-wheelers. Where you from?..Pike Countylol. We liked him! Second, my parents lived in Harlan County their entire lives, as have aunts, uncles, cousins and many of my closest friends. I suspect its mostly because they didnt care much for Hustler, at least not publicly. We wore machine guns with semiautomatic carbines. Loyallalso had a theaterthe Roadenuntil I was about 6 years old. He tell the difference between bills by touch. I was born and raised in Leslie County. Still have a few family members there and many friends. Harlan's mother was a music teacher. Knew a few Edsels which I never met outside Harlan! I live in Lexington now as well have since 1990. You have to have mountains, not hills. Katherine Lynn Caldwell February 24, 2023 (51 years old) View obituary. Not a native but my ears always perk up when I hear Harlan. My Mother, Reba Campbell, was born in Liggett. I graduated in 80. Loved your blog and thought it to be an accurate description. I knew Lisa vaguely. He died in a house fire a few years ago. I was born and raised in Harlan, KY a lil place called Sunshine. We have exchanged information over the years. None of my schools still exist. We often visited Harlan as most of our relatives were there. Gillis Heather Elaine. You nailed it. February 24 . We once had a train full of nerve gas pass through Loyall. Kildav . A native of Fulton, he was a life resident of the Fulton-Volney area. God do I ever remember the Government Cheese and all the other free food provided by the gov. I saw a little of all of it. They often do not contain the death . . Thats pretty much the consensus of people I know. View All Funeral Homes in. Basil Collins was Uncle Basil to us. Thanks. We moved here from a comfortable city life to having no electricity (a new three bedroom house with one bath and hardwood floors. LO It has been both fascinating and sad as well to learn so much about the history, struggles, strength and resilience of the Harlan countians. We like that its called Bloody Harlanby some folks even though that name is based upon events which occurred 70 years ago. Im definitely a Harlan County boy. Married Diana Jones on They were married Nov. 5, 1973. . Thanks for your comments. Of course, it doesnt. Rest assured that no one in my family considers me a disgrace or embarrassment, but your concern is noted. I didnt like a lot of your article, some of it is accurate. Bertha was proceeded in death by her mother Eveda Williams and her father George Adams She is survived by her husband Danny D Little, her children Christopher Shawn Little, Rosalie Peral Brown, Chadwick Darrel Little, and Aaron Daniel Little. Oh the cheese made the best grilled cheese, My wife from Ohio and my 2 children even loved it. Sweet. E Hudson. I graduated in 71 from JACHS. Before we started, I told the court reporter that Ive been told I have an accent of some kind. It might have been the wrong side of the tracks, but I knew some good folks from there. Have lived in SC for the past 25 yrs but everyone who knows me knows where I come from. Took the jury about 5 minutes to find against us, lol. Bianchi Funeral Homes, Inc. Evarts ~ Harlan ~ Loyall ~ Tri City. Ralph Osborne, Jr 58 of Bledsoe, KY passed away Tuesday evening of February 14, 2023 at his home. They dont say that because of my accent, since I only have one when I go back there. Some of these folks do leave Harlana lot of them, in fact. A few notes: The qualifications for Eastern Kentucky status include: I hail from Harlan County, the Eastern Kentuckiest of all counties. For you truly arent a Harlanian, to show such disrespect. Thanks for the comments. They point to the many fine folks in the county who were (and still are) horrified by the goings on at Eastover. If you read it carefully, youll note that I said I havent lived there in 30+ years. Even though they have visited my homeland many times, they remain baffled by it. Our Location. In fact, I got up this morning with the intent or renewing my research. They were both sweet, kind, honest, decent people. Thanks again for the trip back to the Harlan of my youth! I havent lived in Harlan in 30 year, but if someone asks where Im from, Harlan is the immediate response. 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. Thanks for the reads I have read most of your blogs. I loved living in Ages,Ky for the 2 years I was there!! Im pretty sure I remember Lance. You might even become a best-selling author or reality TV producer. I have got too much time and information invested in my research to keep up with to just ignore my research. I believe they graduated for there on 83. Bad-ass wasnt the first word to come to mind, but I sure didnt want to mess with those folk! Then, I moved to Lexington, Kentucky and found out that I was pretty tough by Lexington standards. TO JIM CONNOR, jimmy c morgan lives in the big town of sawbriar, near wallins creek. Besides the accident of birth, we have certain commonalities: Harlan Countians can be found everywhere. Rachel Elaine Smith, 46 Mynatt Funeral Home, Halls Chapel. Harlan County, Kentucky: Basil Collins miner foreman and leader/manager of the scabs confronts picketers with a 45 in his right pocket. We live in McCreary Co now, so still SEKY. Maybe its the camo/orange. If not, you should. Clarence had one brother Howard P. Leonard and Howard P and his wife Lucille had a son named Clarence Edwin Leonard. Pingback: Im Baaaackmaybe | Coal Troll's Blog, Loyall kid hereloved finding this. I go back once or twice a year to visit relatives. Like to have all the money I spent in those places back! Cheese is the only thing the US government ever perfected. My parents (James Depew & Thelma Randolph) grew up in Harlan in the late 20s-30s My Grandfather was Bill Randolph, one time police chief, Constable and apparently gun thug for the man. It even had an old balcony whererumor had itblack folks used to be seated. 2022-11-11T17:09:58Z. If someone tells you that he or she is from Harlan, they could mean any town from Pathforkto Holmes Mill to Cumberland to Cranks. I know that area well. Sometimes, these people would show up to help us. He made shoes. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 49th Academy Awards . Were still Harlan Countians. Two of my best friends were Steve Farley and Jamie Helton. We have corresponded back and forth for several years about our Leonard connections. He used to go visit with Norman during the strike. Awesome story. Jane E. Bailey Graves, 72 Mynatt Funeral Home, Halls Chapel. Hes married married to one of my first cousins for many years. She laughed. Basil Collins Harlan County Obituary, He also served in the 4th Supply Company, in Stockton, California. 7. Click a name to view the obituary. Others leave to find better opportunities. I had friends in Pathfork. 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." 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