We are related to at least one coal miner. I need to work Watts Creek in to a future post, for sure. Pingback: Im Baaaackmaybe | Coal Troll's Blog, Loyall kid hereloved finding this. One of the great things about Harlan is that changes very little. Women took over the picket lines. Most of us pass through this phase at some point. U may or may not remember it and I also did alot of the fencing around the many many acres he and ur moms own. I was born and raised in Harlan County, from Jones Creek, graduated from Evarts High. Its a nice place. Im not sure where you found this, but most folks realize that some of it is tongue-in-cheek. When I went to college, I befriended other Eastern Kentuckians. When I was young, the Government Cheese truck looked like a scene from an African relief mission. I made another U turn and started back toward Harlan at a much slower pace and was directed to take the Loyall turn off. The field is backdropped by some beautiful mountains, right at Tunnel Hill. There arent running gun battles anymore like the famed Battle of Evarts many decades ago. The county is big, about 50 miles across, but sparsely populated. We knew Jimmy Meeks very well. Why turn here, I ask? Born and raised in Cumberland.I live in Florida now loved your article.Proud of my roots! Earlier strikes had resulted in a great deal of bloodshed on both sides. If he called on you and you missed the questionBOOM! I have been gone for 40 years I still have my Harlan Co accent and the kids have lost their Eastern Ky accent. Stumbled across your post. http://www.kentuckytourism.com/places_to_stay/holiday-inn-express/73/ just saying. Harlan County is not on the way to anywhere. Im very impressed by your writing. I dont believe Ive ever been called a mooron before. Harlan is total badass. I first saw the light of day in Oneida, tn because that was the closest hospital & the road l.P. looPwas better Im not from Kentucky saw this blog post through a friends facebook but Ive really enjoyed reading it and the comments! So much that even some locals have a hard time understanding me. 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! They tease me that my accent changes when I cross the county line going back home :-). Our reputation precedes us. Theirs will be more like trips to Kings Island, etc. Grew up in Loyall. And a little c.r.a.z.y. However, it is likely that the presence of the camera kept the level of murder down during the strike. (LogOut/ Before we started, I told the court reporter that Ive been told I have an accent of some kind. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Born and raised as you said in Lynch You pretty much hit the nail on the head.. great write-up. As I was merrily driving along, I was suddenly chastised soundly for missing the road. Entertained by the tendency to call you a mooron and ignorant while not fully grasping the importance of grammar and spelling. Offended by the possiblility that outsiders will use them to measure the intelligence of my people. I do not claim to be from there so I am not in any of your groups. We just live somewhere else. My grandfather was from Island Creek, and my grandmother was from Harold. Would I be a pretender? Theres no future. Basil Collins was Uncle Basil to us. Mountains. They arent isolated enough. U can take me out of Ky. but u cant take Ky out of me!!!!!! Im sure youd know if you were related. Good to hear from you. I was born in Pineville, Ky but grew up in Pathfork. If I go back to Harlan for even a day, even my family cant understand me when I get back. Whitley County is troublesome. It captured the essence of Jimmy. I have a 94 year old aunt who still lives there. He died in 1980 at age 63, and 42 years later his name is presented on the roads of Harlan. I was born in my grandmothers house, in those days hospitals were few and far between. Your mother was my teacher at Hall High for four years. We knowthat houses have winders and chimleys. If we had a problem like that today in my slice of Suburbia, there would be a full-blown panic. Oh, and that knife fight deal down there: I saw a big one at Hall once, in the yard in front of the school crazy watching the teachers try to break that one up. Helped me so much when I worked there. Thank you. I got cussed up and down over it! Go help someone else. Many never leave it. Havent lived there since the late 70s, but Harlan is always home. Were hemmed in. The truth, of course, probably lies somewhere in the middle. Who are the Harlan Countians? My Mom graduated from Cumberland High School. This, so they say, makes them mountain people. It is not, as you might think, simply the eastern half of the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. They are my parents. I have lived in Evarts since age 7 this is my home (sals Branch) I had your mom in home Ec. now let me add to your story, Harlan has taken a step ferder, and now has a Huge new Comfort Inn Hotel.Yep, John this is LONZO, and we now have more southern hospitality hure..Come see us sometime. I must say it is a great read. Im on the state Corrections Commission, so Ive seen her name. John. There were several Leonard families in the county in my day. My Mom then joined the WAC. Love love love Harlan County Kentucky and the people. Raised up on Happy Top, Back Street and Creechs. WebBasil Collins Harlan County Obituary | Death | Basil Collins Dead | Died | Funeral Plans - We heard about the great loss, that Basil Collins is no more and has reportedly passed away. About 1,000 people lived there when I was a kid. Theyre still there. Ive got a few more Harlan County memories. My great granny and grandpa lived in Harlan when they first married but moved to Leslie county. Welcome to Harlan County! Fun read. I know that area well. ha! Eastern Kentucky isnt for everybody, it isnt even for a lot of the people who live here their whole life. I, too, am from Harlan an outlander like yourself, and I was left laughing and shaking my head at all the things only people like us would know to be true I would love to include a link to this in my own blog, but I dont yet know how to do it, lol. There has always been tension between those who work and those who dont or wont. We mispronounce light, fight, white and night. Really enjoyed the read. My mother is Drena Crowder-Leonard. The old structure is still up there on Pine Mountain. Robertson County is the toughest to exclude. My Uncle Ralph Leonard was Pastor at the Baxter Methodist Church before it was moved. My Grandfather/Grandmother was Floyd/Janie Clark. I enjoyed your blog ..I too left Harlan to find work ..I recently got turned down for a job doing private duty nurses aide for a new client because I was from Harlan ..The job interview started out very well until she ask where I was from I had an accent 24 years later I still have that accent I think she was worried I was packing a gun..to funny ..love my Harlan county roots ..from Wallins.. ..Oh yeah agree with everyone loved that Gov, cheese. She was stationed in Newport News, Virginia when the war ended. Many people watch the FX series Justified. If you ever lived in Harlan you have been gone so long you dont know what the hell is going on. I called some place the other day, got an automated machine.your name, address, (Im sorryI didnt get that could you repeat that again. My parents who were also my papaw and mamaw owned Tiny Jos market in Baxter. Itd be hard to sneeze and not hit a Creech with the spray. Thank you so much for sharing. I dont live in Harlan now, but Im still a Harlan Countian. 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. Dad was a good friend of Norman Yarboroughs. Basil was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid, so I know he was real. No complaining here though. I left a long time ago and went back to live there once for a few years. born & raised Pathfork Ky~, Thanks. Thanks for the kind comments. You shouldve had to breath half a can of hairspray in the morning after he got out of the bathroom. Rich Montjoy, I am replying to your post because you didnt say anything bad about Harlan, (Harlan County), Ky. I havent lived in Harlan in 30 year, but if someone asks where Im from, Harlan is the immediate response. They dont want to sound like Harlan or look like Harlan. They may be from such places as Shields, Jones Creek, Smith, Cranks, Punkin Center or Happy Top, although I can name you folks from all those places who have done quite well for themselves. as differences, real ones, but the rest is a little over stated, like JUSTIFIED, eh? why dont u come back?i know why ,because it is to political and if your not a doctor or a lawyer or have plenty of money ,you aint shit yeah the mountains are nice and this is a beautiful place, but if you aint in the click you aint shit and thats the way it really is you just like the bloody harlan shit and it makes you look BADASS to tell people your from here .your a joke dude and quit livin off a place that you evidentally really no nothin about ..post this DUMBASS . Wouldnt trade my youth spent in Harlan County for any other in the world. My dad was one of them, outside Tommy Lees barbershop. 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. Dont be offended by one persons response that could learn and use some respect compared to the many nice responses. I suggest you search my blog for my many other posts about life in Harlan County. They dont say that because of my accent, since I only have one when I go back there. I didnt know, but thats before my time. cheese. WebHarlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky.As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. Sudie Crusenberry. I have many relatives there, but Ive been gone since I graduated from high school in 1979, when my family moved to Corbin. , well leave the porch light on. They were both sweet, kind, honest, decent people. Have you checked out Welcome To Watts Creek site? I live in the city now, and raised my daughters here. Ive been gone for 20+ years now. I am also a faithful Alabama Football Fan ROLL TIDE. I think we overlapped at Cawood for a year. Being a descendant of such a controversial character of those times I may be asking for a social beating on here. Well, I have rambled enough. 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. I used to try and derail the presumptions, now I just embrace them. I am an outlander from Bell County and so enjoyed reading this! I was born and raised in Sunshine. Been back very few times. Thats probably why he is disabled now at a a young age. Still have family there. Edit. Never mind. I dont know. I must admit, however, that we have had few issues adjusting to Tennessee except for the color orange. WebOfficial Summary of the film Harlan County harlan county summary harlan county is documentary that tells the story of the brookside miners in harlan county, that he would ensure better safety programs for the miners. Harlan Countians did not like that. Nothing like the beauty of a snow covered mountain, springtime with sprinkles of dogwoods and redbud blossoms or the beautiful fall foliage! I miss Government Cheese. I was born and raised in Harlan County and we moved to Alabama in 1952 when I was 12 years old. What happened to Basil Collins in the end? Ive often heard that anywhere you go on Earth you can find someone from Harlan county. Even though life was very hard at times, it was filled with family and friends and its been fun thinking about them this morning. Mostly, we just hung out. And Misty, April and I grew up together. Harlan Justified portrays Harlan as a lawless frontier of wanton violence. https://www.facebook.com/groups/WallinsCreekers/. I have many good friends I have met through the Hall High Gamecock web site. I used to sleep on the bread racks. Thanks for the great story. Basil Collins Harlan County Obituary | Death | Basil Collins Dead | Died | Funeral Plans - We heard about the great loss, that Basil Collins is no more and Now, people in Carter County pretty much sound like us, but they have that Interstate. If I knew them personally I would surly let them know about it too. There was nothing like sitting on the front porch swing drinking RCs from my uncles one room store. We lived the last house in the head of the holler with my poppy and granny our only neighbors. It was gray and you had to add the coloring to it. your a fuckin mooron ive lived here all my life ,my family pioneered this place ,both sides, why arent u still living here? Anyway, I just had to leave a note. Harlan County USAdivides us into two groups: Those that love it and those that hate it. If you dont believe me, I just might have to kill you. Im happy living here. I was raised in Wallins Creek and Cumberland by my Mamaw as a child. 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). Give me about 30 minutes, and its like I never left. Whatever happened to Basil Collins Wiki User 2009-04-27 11:24:22 Study now See answer (1) Best Answer Copy Basil is currently burning eternally within the 7th It still is in some ways, although it has been many years since the United Mine Workers Association held great sway. I remember it seemed like every time my high school played Cawood there was a knife fight.