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We are not sure where this is supposed to be, but it could have been anywhere in the coal fields of southern West Virginia, south west Virginia or eastern Kentucky. This was how families who lived near the mines or slate dumps obtained their coal for heating their homes and for cooking on coal/wood burning "cook stoves." The families who did not live near the mines, dug their coal from near-by coal banks. I remember that our family used a sled and coffee sacks (burlap bags) to bring the coal from a nearby coal bank. Wilma Steele relates a story about her husband, Terry Steele and his siblings and their grand father, Iager Steele.
Iager and Sally inheirited the old homeplace of P.A. and Emma Steele.(There are pictures on of Iager Steele and his family.) The homesite is a triangle shaped lot right between the left and right fork of Meador Branch. (Mingo County) Iager made some improvments on these lands while his family lived there. One addition was a coalhouse close to their home. Upon the hill was an old coal bank. The Steele's dug their coal, shoveled the buckets full and carried them down the hill and across the creek to home. As Iager got older, the chore got harder. He got some old tin, and made a coal chute. It began at the coal bank, came down the hill and directly into the coalhouse. It worked great! That is, until all the Steele grandchildren found out what a great slide Grandpa Iager had built. They ran up the hill, flopped down on the shoot and went sliding down the hill, landing on top of the coal heap. Susie (Steele) said she remembered how much fun it was. She also remembered Iager coming out the door and telling them to get off that hill. Iager was a quiet gentle man, his main concern was the kids. The tin was sharp on the edges, and if someone fell on it, it would make a deep cut. Well the kids got off, until Iager went inside. Then it was a race back up the hill to be first on their new slide. I can just see Terry, Susie, Lillis, and the whole Steele gang. Just imagine what a sight they must have been, all covered with coal dust.!
The above picture from an old post card could have been any of thousands of Appalacian families, "Bringing Home The Coal."
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