Appalachian History

By January 1, 1941, Harlan and Bell Counties were 95 per cent organized. The only nasty non-union outpost was the Fork Ridge mine just across the Kentucky line in Tennessee, a short distance from Middlesboro. The mine was operated by C. W. (Dusty) Rhodes, president and general manager. Searchlights were placed on the tipple and [...]

“The Radical Roots Project brings together the stories of some of the region’s most thoughtful and cherished voices of cultural and political resistance through audio, photography, and word,” says site founder Taylor Kirkland. The following piece is a short excerpt from Kirkland’s interview with Helen Lewis about the latter’s early days teaching Appalachian Studies in [...]