My interest in Appalachia began with my Granny Rector Polk. Her side of the family had been coal miners and ironworkers in Germany before coming to Virginia, where they eventually settled in Germanna. Later generations made their way into the Blue Ridge Mountains and eventually into the mountains of East Tennessee, where the family continued their trade and built the first forge in the area. That is where my granny was born and raised. Although she left the mountains after sh

The Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster On April 5, 2010, tragedy struck in the coalfields of West Virginia, forever changing the lives of 29...

"A Coal Miner's Journey Home" Our coal miner's tribute project is a heartfelt tribute to the brave men and women who worked deep in the...