Submitted by Leigha McIntyre
Natural Resources Management teacher
Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center
The Natural Resources Management class from Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center had the opportunity to travel to Beckley, WV for a "Past to Present: A trip through WV's Coal Mining History" on April 9-10.
The class spent several weeks learning about coal, the mining process and the economic and social impacts that coal has had on the state of West Virginia. The group toured the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine to see and hear first-hand accounts of life in the coal mines.
Students listen as Stacey a Beckley Exhibition Coal
Mine guide, talked about life in an 1890s coal town
Students were taken underground into an old coal mine where a retired coal miner talked about life and work in the mines and toured a replica coal mining town and visited the stars while at the mine's planetarium.
Another stop on the tour was the old town of Thurmond, WV where the movie Matewan was filmed and taking in the sights of the New River Gorge Bridge.
The 2014 Natural Resource Management class outside of the old
National Bank of Thurmond (L-R) Chandler Newell, Baylee Swisher,
Kelly Sparks, teacher Leigha McIntyre, Nick Persinger, Brandi
Moss, Asia Moss, Valarie Barr, George Hardman, and Ryan Singleton
Students discussed the impacts of the Matewan Massacre as they pointed out the various buildings found in the movie. Several students really got into the spirit of the movie and entertained other visitors with a re-enactment of the fatal shoot-out that resulted in 10 deaths.
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