Appalachian History

John C.C. Mayo (1864-1914) was born a poor mountaineer in Paintsville, KY, and by the time of his premature death at 49 of Bright’s Disease, had amassed a fortune in the neighborhood of $20,000,000, making him Kentucky’s wealthiest man. Mayo became a teacher at age 16, interrupted his classroom activities to enroll in Kentucky Wesleyan [...]

Jenkins, KY didn’t come into existence by steady settlement over a period of years. Jenkins was planned and built by Consolidation Coal Company [Consol] for men who came to mine its coal– what was to become known as the best coal in Kentucky. Mrs. G. C. Johnson: I came from Pikeville. My husband was here–he [...]