University of Virginia's
College at Wise
Department of History & Philosophy
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ABOUT THE COAL TOWNS PROJECT
In scheduling the spring 2005 Oral History Seminar at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, the college seeks to combine the rigor of academic history with the function of applied history.
Beginning in November 2004, the collaboration began when professor Brian McKnight and several students accompanied a community group on a research trip to the Hagley Library and Archives in Wilmington, Delaware. On that trip, McKnight, Preston Hibbitts, Sara Roop, and Heather Crabtree spent two days doing primary source research in the archives while members of the community and several students from Appalachia High School scanned photographs in the library. The group also spent a day touring downtown Philadelphia.
With the beginning of the semester in January 2005, the class started work on educating themselves about the region's history, the impact of extractive industries, and the culture of coal towns. During the class, oral history interviews were conducted on campus and off with trips into the communities, to local schools, and to museums. In all, more than a dozen members of the community were interviewed, hundreds of photographs and documents collected, and invaluable information preserved.
As the course winds down, the project will remain viable through the commitment of the class to assist in the writing, editing, and compiling of a photographic history of local coal towns. We will keep you updated.
Brian D. McKnight
Acknowledgements
The following UVa-Wise students have contributed much time and effort to the Coal Towns Project:
Julie Yates
Jennifer Jenks
Jessica Johnson
Jon Robinson
Heather Crabtree
Sara Roop
Jacqueline Laws
Travis Roach
Sutton Polly
Preston Hibbitts
Jon Mullins
Josh Jackson
Derrick Yates
Holly Gembach
Additional Project Information
Interviews at Appalachia High School
Interviews at
Harry Meador
Museum
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This page last updated: April 5, 2005
Maintained by: Dr. Brian D. McKnight
