The Walk into Whitesville – August 10, 1999

Whitesville – nearly in the center of the southern WV coal country – that region of scarped off mountains and decaying communities. Whitesville is alive and well, it seems, in spite of emitting a blighted look to those driving through on Highway 3. The walk for the mountains achieved a special kind of triumph in Whitesville, and this in the face of what some regarded as hostile country.

On August 10, 1999, sixteen souls trudged into Whitesville from a ten mile trek in on Raleigh County Road 1. Who outside of the locals have heard of Ameagle and Dorothy, happy little communities big enough for post offices? Small neat houses with gardens and flower beds along the roadway, and then long stretches of just good old woodland.

So we started early – makes sense when the heat of the day in early August, especially from hot macadam can put one’s tootsies in torment. The earth had hardly just shaken the foggy foggy dew off the landscape when we began from Ameagle. So who were the walkers aside from the illustrious Larry? Randy Sprouse? No, he ruined his feet from the walk into Beckley two days before. (pause here to give Randy a lot of credit for the contribution of his Coal River Mountain Watch in helping to make the walk a big success).

Doc Davis, all the way from Eleanor, rangey and personable with a real dedication to the Cause, John Taylor, that fire-eatin’ Methodist who’s been setting the MTRemovers on their butts with his talks at rallies; Janice Nease from Poca, a natural born leader with a gift of gab, her values on straight and with a fired up energy; Judy Bonds, petite hell-raisin’ grandmother, cute as a button, who lives just outside Whitesville; Doris Megan, a former lady coal miner with a commitment to both mountains and miners; the North Carolina contingent, Shireen Parsons, Harvard Ayres and Gideon, all from Appalachian Voices.

The day turned out just gorgeous, fall-like in its atmosphere, and wildflowers all along the way of the road edge of the walk. Larry keeps up a brisk cadence and the rest of us try and keep up. Then we have stragglers and then Joe Williams and a couple of his buddies show up to straggle more, but very good for local involvement. Most of the persons driving by were cousins of Joe’s, and so he would stop ‘em in the road and give ‘em a piece of information and a flyer. (Not sure what the information was, but it must have been good because about fifty locals showed up at Judy Bond’s for the hot dog feast in the evening).

Larry is not one to stop when his feet hurt or he gets tired. He keeps the same brisk pace all the while. But the stragglers got too far behind so he was forced to briefly encamp so they could catch up. As we neared Whitesville, Jimmy Weekly, erstwhile Blair grassroots activist, and his contingent, appeared and helped us with the walk in triumph and proud into Whitesville. Larry said this was the most hikers all at once he had on the whole walk – Whitesville made its claim to fame that day!

We arrived at the Headquarters of the Coal River Mountain Watch about 1 PM, so we’d been on the road awhile.

In the afternoon open house at the Headquarters, the Earl of Elkview, George Daugherty, had a willing audience for his expressions of activist entertainment. He interspersed his songs with tales from his experiences with coal field patriots from the past.

In the evening, a LOT of folks showed up at the picnic and rally at Judy Bond’s house. A Beckley contingent made the 35 mile trip to offer their support, and ever-on-the-firing line, Carol Jackson, set up her field of tombstones. George Daugherty again both focused and moved the group with his songs. Much jollity – much good fellowship – much encouragement to continue in the fight to save the mountains of West Virginia.