~What It Is All About~

We came up with the idea of Faces while trying to decide on a display for the 2010 October Sky Fest. I first thought putting photographs with the era of the town would be an easy task. WRONG! I did not realize the time it would take sorting through the photos, trying to date and then trying to place them in the proper time span. This task alone took several months. I’ve learned from some great Coalwood Historians over the past several years, but when I was able to put the Faces to the history, I gained a new perspective. It was though everything fell into place, the history took on a new meaning; there were Faces to the names. The ideals and beliefs of the people took shape; it was though Coalwood came back to life before my very eyes.  I wasn’t quite sure if anyone would really be “taken” by the exhibit but after experiencing the reactions of the folks, I knew, we had “done good”.

It was very inspiring to see and hear the comments being made. There were many smiles and tears, as people pointed and said, “there’s my mama”, “that was my favorite teacher”, “there’s me in the church program”, “there’s me and my friends in the school yard”, “there’s my daddy in the mine”, “that’s my uncle”… this went on all day long. It was also fulfilling to see the effects and hear the feedback of the folks not from Coalwood. They were able to read about the development of the coal camp, to see it in its glory and experience it in its decline.  The whole display became an interactive event.

A few distressing things were learned, one, a lot of the Coalwood people do not have photographs of their lives and loved ones from the past. Two, there are people out there that have photographs and stories, and for whatever reason, are not willing to share them with others. We are coming to a time where the generation of old are passing on and the generation of new don’t really care. We, as the generation of now, need to embrace this moment; learn from the old, teach the new, and share with the world the life that once was. Remember, when the people with the memories are gone, the past will be gone too.

Please enjoy the collections that will be displayed. If you need copies of pictures, contact us, we will be happy to get them to you. If you have any photos you would like to share, we’d love to add them to this site. We’d like to have your comments and/or memories to add to our Thoughts/Guest Book page.

Check back – Phase I will be up soon. Please be patient with us as we work on posting the other Phases!

~Terri