Interview with Donald Whalen, November 13, 1991

Partial Transcript: Now you can go ahead. Did you have another story that you remembered that you'd like to start with?

Segment Synopsis: Whalen recalls a story that Jonce Holt told him about what Barthell residents did for fun in the 1920's. The people would square-dance at the top of the tipple.

Keywords: Recreation; Square Dance; Tipple

Subjects: Appalachian Region, Southern--Social life and customs.; McCreary County (Ky.); Square dancing

Partial Transcript: What were your parents names? Well, you see, I was adopted, foster parents, they take me when I was 18 months old.

Segment Synopsis: McBride asks Whalen about his parents. He shares that he was adopted when he was just over a year old. His foster father worked in the mines, and the family kept a small garden.

Keywords: Adoption; Appletree ridge; Caewood Whalen; Childhood Memories; Fathers; Foster Parents; Mining; Personal Gardens; Pine Knot (Ky.)

Subjects: Families.; McCreary County (Ky.); Relocation (Housing)

Partial Transcript: So, I lived there. Me and Reba was married. I was working at Barthell.

Segment Synopsis: In 1936, Whalen married Reba Holt and they moved around for a time, finally settling in with his parents on Apple Tree Ridge. There they built a four room house and stayed there until 1940. He talks about his children being born at home because there was no hospital or clinic in the proximity of where they lived.

Keywords: Apple tree Ridge; Childbirth; Hospitals; Oneida (Ky.); Stearns (Ky.); Traveling Doctors

Subjects: Families.; Home.; Marriage.; McCreary County (Ky.); Relocation (Housing)

Partial Transcript: Did you want to be closer to your work?

Segment Synopsis: Throughout the 1940's, the Whalen family moved in and out of Barthell. Then at the beginning of the 1950's, they moved to both Florida and Cincinnati. This culminated in a divorce in 1951.

Keywords: Apple Tree Ridge; Barthell; Cincinnati (Ohio); Divorce; Florida

Subjects: Families.; Relocation (Housing)

Partial Transcript: I worked in the mines from 1935, June of '35, for the Stearns company and I was off and on there a little bit.

Segment Synopsis: Whalen details the time in which he worked for the Stearns Company on and off. He worked from the period 1935-1950, with some migration to other companies. He mentions that Barthell had very efficient coal in use for steam.

Keywords: Barthell; Brimstone; Glengarry Coal Company; Military Service; Mine 18, Blue Heron; Southern Railroad; Steam Coal; Stearns Company; Sulfur; Tennessee; Worley (Ky.)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: When you say that the work at Barthell was seasonal, it depended upon the orders from train?

Segment Synopsis: McBride asks for clarification on the seasonal nature of the job. Whalen says part of this was due to the railroads purchasing habits. Yet also there would be slow periods when a machine would break. They also discuss the uses of coal within Barthell, such as heating for the homes.

Keywords: Coal Stoves; Seasonal Work; Sulfur Balls; subsistence farming

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Coal.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Jonce Holt was one, I guess, of the oldest survivors of Barthell. That was Reba's daddy.

Segment Synopsis: Whalen recounts the story of Jonce Holt, his former father-in-law, who was one of the oldest members of Barthell. He even refused to move out of Barthell at first. The owner of the mine gave him a job when he was orphaned and sent him to work at a young age.

Keywords: "hostling"; Barthell; Child Labor; Corporate Paternalism; Jonce Holt; Tipples

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: When you were here last time, I think you told me a little bit about your daily schedule?

Segment Synopsis: Donald would wake at 4am, leave the depot at 5am. They would take the train to Barthell mine. They would get ready and work starting at 6:30.

Keywords: Apple Tree Ridge; bathhouse; daily farm chores; insulation; railroad

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Families.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: I know one time, uh, this other tram motorman, we had two trams then.

Segment Synopsis: Whalen describes accidents from work. He relates a personal experience in which he believes God saved him in a rail accident.

Keywords: Accidents; Church; Coal; God; Henry Boyd sidetrack; Motormen; Railroads; Red Rose; Spiritual life; Trams

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Experience (Religion); McCreary County (Ky.); Mine railroad cars; Railroad accidents

Partial Transcript: See he had a son that was killed in a mine explosion at Worley on the east side, by the name of Stobart.

Segment Synopsis: Whalen talks about superintendent McGuffey. Describes his wife Reba. He recounts an explosion in the Worley mine and talks about how gas explosions occur in the mine and their aftermath.

Keywords: Gas explosions; McGuffey; Mine explosions; Worley (Ky.)

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.); Mine explosions.; Mine safety.

Partial Transcript: With the years that you worked at Barthell, uh, which mine openings were they using?

Segment Synopsis: McBrides attempts to see which mine openings were open at that time. They later discuss another mine explosion.

Keywords: Barthell; Mine Explosion; North Side; South End Mine

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.); Mine explosions.; Mine safety.

Partial Transcript: This is a picture that I wasn't, um, completely sure where it was at.

Segment Synopsis: This is primarily picture identification. McBride attempts to reconstruct a residential area through showing Whalen old photos of the town. Whalen identifies the Holloway's house in order to place the picture in context.

Keywords: Holloway; John Coffee; Railroad; School; The Cut; Tram Road; Vick Bradley; residential history

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Company towns; McCreary County (Ky)

Partial Transcript: I have some other views of it. Okay, here's a--I don't know if this will help any.

Segment Synopsis: At first, they could not identify the location. Then when offered a different angle, he was able to provide context of the bathhouse.

Keywords: Bathhouse; Old Barthell Tipple; Substation

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Company towns; McCreary County (Ky)

Partial Transcript: Does, do these--here's one that looks probably a little more familiar to you. There's the modern bathhouse, is that right?

Segment Synopsis: Whalen identifies the modern bathhouse and relates the time he worked there. He placed the path from the car path. He also relates this to the tipple.

Keywords: Barthell; Bathhouses; Picture dentification; Superintendents; houses; tipples

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Company towns; McCreary County (Ky)

Partial Transcript: The one time, I'll tell you a little story about Tom Vahles. Tom was a fellow that drank quite a lot.

Segment Synopsis: Donald talks about his father rehiring Tom Vahles and talks about where Vahles lived. He continues to discuss the photographs with McBride.

Keywords: Caewood Whalen; Employees; Fathers; Hiring; Sheriff; Worley (Ky.)

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Company towns; McCreary County (Ky)

Partial Transcript: That had hot and cold water, right, in the bathhouse?

Segment Synopsis: Whalen talks about heating the water at the bathhouse. He describes how the weight of the coal cars was monitored.

Keywords: Boilers; Coal; Heating; Numbers; Tipples; Tons; Tracks; Trains; Water; Weight

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Bathhouses; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky)

Partial Transcript: Well who decided where an individual miner got to dig on a given day?

Segment Synopsis: Whalen talks about how it was decided where miners would work. Talks about Jonce Holt learning to read and write to become foreman. He talks about different superintendents and foremen that he worked with. Describes how mines were operated.

Keywords: Airways; Co-Operative (Ky.); Entry; Ice Camp; Illiteracy; Jonce Holt; Mine foreman; Reading; Rooms; Shell Smith; Superintendents; Writing

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Education.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: She didn't tell you about our meeting the first time, did she?

Segment Synopsis: Whalen talks about first meeting Reba. He describes the cost of groceries when he lived in Barthell. Talks about the first mine opening in the area and the last to close. [Interview ends abruptly as Whalen is speaking.]

Keywords: Bob Stearns; Closing; Groceries; Marriage; Mine 1; Reba; Washing dishes; Wives

Subjects: Coal mines and mining.; Company towns; McCreary County (Ky.)