Clinchco: History of a Coal Camp by Dennis Reedy and Jeff Reedy

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Many people enjoy reading books on the history of our area.  Our shelvers will testify to the number of times they have re-shelved books by Bud Phillips or Robert Loving’s Double Destiny.  Other books about local communities are also popular, such as Kathy Shearer’s books on Wilder and Cleveland.  Recently we added a title on Clinchco, in Dickenson County, Virginia.

Clinchco was named for the Clinchfield company—either the railroad or the coal corporations. It was a rather diverse town for the area, with a number of immigrants who came to work in the mines alongside the Appalachian natives.  The mines opened around 1916, according the entry in the book, and the town became a thriving concern with many activities.

The book is engagingly written, bringing together family stories along with the history of an area, including good times and bad.  As one of the authors says in the preface, he went back to Clinchco time and again to do interviews because “we are fast getting to the point where ‘there is no one left to ask’ when it comes to the history of Clinchco.” Sadly, that is true for more than one area now.

I was really impressed by the number and quality of the photos included in the book.  I like looking at old photos, so I enjoyed these thoroughly.  For example, there are photos and drawings of a “bake oven” used by Hungarian and Italian immigrants in the 20s and 1930s, river baptisms in the 1940s, mining and railroad photos, street scenes, and more. Some of the more dramatic ones were of flooding in the 1970s and the bridge that collapsed under the weight of a tractor trailer that attempted to cross.  Infamous court cases, train and mine accidents are included, as well as carnivals and baseball games.

And I was delighted to see an index!

This book is a treasure trove for genealogists and historians, but also for anyone who wants a feel for what life was like “way back when” without it being seen through rose colored glasses. I gave this book to someone who was somewhat familiar with the area, thinking he might like to glance through it.  I learned later he had sat up with it until the wee small hours of the morning, having been captivated by some of the stories.  I think that says a lot.

We have one copy to check out and one copy to stay in the library in our Genealogy/ Local History collection.