Society News & Updates
Working Today to Preserve Tomorrow
Working Today to Preserve Tomorrow
MISSION: Coalwood/Caretta Cemetery Documentation
Summer 2009
The Society has begun the daunting task of recording the Coalwood/Caretta Cemeteries. We recently returned from Coalwood after spending several days in the West Virginia Mountains documenting the declining conditions of the local cemeteries. This is a sad situation that has been allowed to occur.
To date, we have gathered basic information on four cemeteries to begin submitting our findings to the West Virginia Division of Culture & History in Charleston. They are the Day Camp Cemetery, the Mud Hole Colored Cemetery, the Coalwood White Cemetery and the Caretta (white & colored) Cemetery. There are other known cemeteries in the area that need to be found and recorded. These once respected places are falling wayside and soon may cease to exist.
We will continue this mission until each and every cemetery in Coalwood and Caretta are documented and recorded. Our ultimate goal would be to restore these sacred places back to stateliness. We encourage you to follow our lead and lend a hand if ever able.
To date, we have gathered basic information on four cemeteries to begin submitting our findings to the West Virginia Division of Culture & History in Charleston. They are the Day Camp Cemetery, the Mud Hole Colored Cemetery, the Coalwood White Cemetery and the Caretta (white & colored) Cemetery. There are other known cemeteries in the area that need to be found and recorded. These once respected places are falling wayside and soon may cease to exist.
We will continue this mission until each and every cemetery in Coalwood and Caretta are documented and recorded. Our ultimate goal would be to restore these sacred places back to stateliness. We encourage you to follow our lead and lend a hand if ever able.
Location: Day Camp-Coalwood (below the rocket site)
Standing in Middle of Plot n-37 degrees 23.845 w-81 degrees 41.081
9 Field Stones – 3 Marked Stones
#1- M+L Born DEC 28 Year 18 5 DEC May 1 1900 – location right side of road
#2- J/E DEC MAR THE + 10 + 97 - location left side of road- 1 ft from pipeline
#3- FRANK STARR Dec March the 4 97 location left side of road- 3 ft from stone #2- 4 ft from pipeline
Possibly 10 (+) gravesites. There is a gas pipeline with a plowed road (21 feet across) that has been put thru the cemetery. The cemetery is accessible by foot.
Standing in Middle of Plot n-
9 Field Stones – 3 Marked Stones
#1-
Possibly 10 (+) gravesites. There is a gas pipeline with a plowed road (21 feet across) that has been put thru the cemetery. The cemetery is accessible by foot.
Location: Mud Hole Holler- Coalwood
Standing in Middle of Plot N 37 - 23.585 W 81 - 39.492
Left: N 37 – 23.576 W 81 – 39.495 Right: N 37 – 23.591 W 81 – 39.467
Bottom: N 37 – 23.564 W 81 – 39.477
Entrance at Road: N 37 – 23.571 W 81 – 39.441
There are 4 marked stones in the cemetery- numerous unmarked stones.
Stone #1- Tom B. Mobley South Carolina PVT 1CL 347 Labor BIL October 13, 1931
(confirmed research available)
Stone #2- Oler Patterson Died Nov 17 1934 Age 57
Stone #3- Hannah Cole Died Jan. 3, 1925 – Choice of Virginia Chamber 937-Bessemer, Ala. (confirmed research available)
Stone #4- RLM
Bottom: N 37 – 23.564 W 81 – 39.477
Entrance at Road: N 37 – 23.571 W 81 – 39.441
There are 4 marked stones in the cemetery-
Stone #1-
Stone #2-
Location: Mud Hole Holler, Coalwood
Standing in the middle of the plot N - 37 - 23.363 min w-81 - 39.610
There are at least 150 marked stones. There are many unmarked stones. The earliest known marker is dated 1892. The last person buried here was Alfred Puchy who received special permission from the Olga Coal Company to be buried next to his parents (1988).
This cemetery is in major decline! Several years ago the state cleared trees off the property to help with maintenance. Today the growth from the lack of trees is strangling the cemetery. There are a handful of gravesites that can be seen, the others are covered in total overgrowth. Due to the extreme nature of the cemetery, we could not record the stones or get the four corner co-ordinances, which we had planned. Hopefully after the next winter, we will be able to access the cemetery and further document it.
Standing in the middle of the plot N -
This cemetery is in major decline! Several years ago the state cleared trees off the property to help with maintenance. Today the growth from the lack of trees is strangling the cemetery. There are a handful of gravesites that can be seen, the others are covered in total overgrowth. Due to the extreme nature of the cemetery, we could not record the stones or get the four corner co-
Location: Caretta - between Six (Coalwood) & Caretta
Carreta (white): Upper: N 37 - 20.701 W - 81 - 40.227
Bottom: N 37 - 20.655 W - 81 - 40.250
The Caretta Cemetery has previously been recorded but has not been filed with the West Virginia Cultural Center. When we were searching death records, we noticed the white and colored where all buried in this cemetery. We found that the white cemetery at Caretta was recorded, but the colored cemetery was not. The white cemetery is said to have 61 marked gravesites and 50 unidentifiable graves. The earliest marked grave is 1919 and the latest marked grave is 1964. There are several stones in foreign language and several military markers here. As you stand in the cemetery facing up hill, there is a creek that runs on the left. If you face the creek, cross it into the fern covered area, you are in the colored cemetery. There is one marked stone in this part of the cemetery and many unidentifiable gravesites that are not marked.
The 1 marked stone in the colored section:
Geneva Foster Mar 14, 1927 July 12, 1941 (Confirmed Research)
We will be returning for the GPS co-ordinances (Colored) and to verify all other documentation on the Caretta Cemetery.
Carreta (white): Upper: N 37 -
The Caretta Cemetery has previously been recorded but has not been filed with the West Virginia Cultural Center. When we were searching death records, we noticed the white and colored where all buried in this cemetery. We found that the white cemetery at Caretta was recorded, but the colored cemetery was not. The white cemetery is said to have 61 marked gravesites and 50 unidentifiable graves. The earliest marked grave is 1919 and the latest marked grave is 1964. There are several stones in foreign language and several military markers here. As you stand in the cemetery facing up hill, there is a creek that runs on the left. If you face the creek, cross it into the fern covered area, you are in the colored cemetery. There is one marked stone in this part of the cemetery and many unidentifiable gravesites that are not marked.
The 1 marked stone in the colored section:
Geneva Foster Mar 14, 1927 July 12, 1941 (Confirmed Research)
We will be returning for the GPS co-
Other Cemeteries
To date, we have not been able to locate the Mountain Fork Cemetery at Caretta, the Big Branch Cemetery at Coalwood and the Colored/White cemetery in Six at Coalwood. If anyone is aware of these locations, please help us find them!
To date, we have not been able to locate the Mountain Fork Cemetery at Caretta, the Big Branch Cemetery at Coalwood and the Colored/White cemetery in Six at Coalwood. If anyone is aware of these locations, please help us find them!
