This document provides a tour of the Appalachian region presented by EPG Cohort 16. It begins with introductions and an agenda. It then discusses the history and geography of Appalachia, the rise and decline of coal towns, and efforts to repurpose the region through outdoor adventure tourism. Specific examples are given of former coal towns in Kentucky like Lynch, Benham, and Hindman and how they have transformed their economies. The document emphasizes moving beyond stereotypes to understand the reality of Appalachian people, heritage, and efforts to diversify the economy through small businesses and tourism.
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Appalachia presentation
1. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
A Brief Tour of
The Appalachian Region
EPG Cohort 16
July 26, 2019
2. Meet Team J.A.M.S.
Shageldi Ovezov
Class of 2022
Computer Science &
Math
Turkmenistan
Mason
Richardson
Class of 2021
Physics
Somerset, KY
Jasmine Sams
Class of 2022
Music
Production and
Sound Design
Wilmington, DE
Amy Stemann
Class of 2022
English/Education
Seattle, WA
3. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Agenda
Transformation of the Coal Towns03
Brief History of Coal Towns02
What is Appalachia?01
Outdoor Adventure Tourism04
4. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
What is
Appalachia?
5. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
The Mountains
Original mountains formed
approximately five billion
years ago
Modern mountains shaped by
200 million years of erosion
Sister ecosystem in Central
Asia and in Africa
6. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
“Appalachia”
1895
“A New Pioneer
Region”
1902
“Appalachian American”
encyclopedia article
published
1893
William Goodell Frost
ventures into Eastern
Kentucky
2019
“Frost’s Appalachia”
remains
1899
“Our Contemporary
Ancestors” is
published
7. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
The Myth vs The Reality
Nothing
but coal
No desire
to pivot
Unaware
and
Uncaring
The Myth
The
Reality
8. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
The Mountains and People of Reality
More than Mines
Passionate and
Hopeful
Heritage and
Traditions
9. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Kentucky and Coal:
The Towns that Powered the
Nation
10. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Kentucky Coal Towns
Benham, Kentucky
Source: Foundation, Kentucky. “Benham 1.”
http://www.coaleducation.org/Coalhistory/C
oaltowns/benham_images.Htm, Kentucky
Foundation, 1935.
Lynch, Kentucky
Source: Foundation, Kentucky. “Lynch.”
Http://Www.coaleducation.org/Coalhistor
y/Coaltowns/Lynch.htm, Kentucky
Foundation.
Source: View of Hindman, Kentucky.”
Http://Sites.rootsweb.com/~Kyknott/Te
st/Hindmanhs.html, 0AD.
Hindman, Kentucky
11. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Life in a Coal Town
Johnson, Dave. “U.S. Coal & Coke Co. $2 Scrip Certificate.”
portal31.Org, www.portal31.org/history_of_portal_31.htm.
Lynch doctors and nurses. Southeast Kentucky Community
Technical College Appalachian Archives Lynch Photo
Collection.
12. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Life in a Coal Town Cont’d
Lynch community development, flower and food gardens’.
Southeast Kentucky Community Technical College
Appalachian Archives Lynch Photo Collection.
Lynch ‘amusement field’. Southeast Kentucky Community
Technical College Appalachian Archives Lynch Photo
Collection.
13. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Declining Coal Industry Employment
Source: Department for
Energy Development and
Independence, and Kentucky
Coal Association. “Kentucky
Coal Facts.” Kentucky Coal
Facts, 16th Edition ed., 2016,
pp. 9–9.
14. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Repurposing Natural Resources and
Mountains of Coal Towns
15. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Lynch, KY
Source: Trip Advisor. “Portal 31 Entrance.”
www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g39612-d267452-
i141328592-Portal_31-Lynch_Kentucky.html. Accessed 25 July 2019.
Digital File.
16. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Benham, KY
Source: Pinterest. “KY Coal Mining Museum.”
www.i.pinimg.com/originals/97/57/88/975788738d043e49421f
b9511b83b341.jpg. Accessed 25 July 2019. Digital File.
Source: Only in Your State. “Stay Overnight In A Schoolhouse At The
Most Unique Hotel In Kentucky.”
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/kentucky/schoolhouse-inn-kentucky/.
Accessed 25 July 2019. Digital File.
Source: . “Benham Schoolhouse Inn.”
www.flickriver.com/photos/backroads_driver/sets/7215762650
5336048/. Accessed 25 July 2019. Digital File.
17. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Source: US Census Bureau. “Population Estimates.”
.https://www.census.gov/glossary/#term_Populationesti
mates. Accessed 25 July 2019.
18. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Merger:
Lynch, Benham, and Cumberland
Source: Google Maps. “Lynch, KY to Cumberland, KY.”
https://www.google.com/maps/. Accessed 25 July 2019.
19. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Outdoor Adventure Tourism:
Where To Go?
Source: Amy Stemann, Personal Photos, 7.26.19
Source: kytourism.org, digital image, 7.25.19
Source :
bereatourism.org/pinnaclesnamedbesthikingspot,
digital image, 7.25.19
20. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Outdoor Adventure Tourism:
Fueling the Future of Appalachia
Source: Wikipedia. “Appalachian Mountains.”
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Mountains. Digital Image, 7.26.19.
21. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Small Business Leaders
-Tim Harding
- Katie Startzman
-Mae Suramek
-Jason Medley
-Larry Davidson
-Jessa Turner
Source: Stemann, Amy. Personal Photos. 15.7.19. Digital File.
22. A Brief Tour of the Appalachian Region by EPG Cohort 16 | July 26, 2019
Thank you for your attention!
Questions?
Editor's Notes
Jasmine leads off:
Good morning,and thank you all for coming out
Now that you’ve had a chance to hear about who we are and what we’ve been doing, we’d like to give you some background on who we’re doing this work for and why
Each speaker introduces himself/herself
Our agenda at a glance,
We’ll be introducing you to the region, sharing some background on the role of coal, then we’ll show you how the region has been changing and last but not least, we’ll show you where some of those changes have led
Appalachia as a whole is an enormous region, and we only have about 20 minutes so we’ll be focusing on our slice of the pie here in Kentucky
On the topic of time sensitivity, we have 2 entire regions to cover: The Appalachia of Myth and the Appalachia of Reality
We could spend hours telling you about the mountains themselves, settlement of the region and all the history in between, but for our purposes we’ll be focusing on the people
To tell you about the Myth, I have to provide you a bit of background
In 1893 the “then” President of our Berea Beloved, William Goodell Frost ventured into Eastern KY and spent 2 weeks riding through the region on horseback
Fast forward to 1895: Frost grafted a focus on aiding Appalachia to the College’s mission and declared the area “a new pioneer region”
Frost went on to publish 2 works that brought his perception of Appalachia to a national audience: “Our Contemporary Ancestors” (1899) and an encyclopedia article, “Appalachian American” (1902)
Despite a good intention, to help where he perceived a need for it, Frost’s actions became the foundation for a huge misconception about the region, its people and their history
Not only has the Myth survived, a countless number of stereotypes have formed because of it
The myth is taught, learned and believed widely outside of Appalachia in the United States and beyond
Prior to spending a week traveling through easter KY and south western VA, we actually harboured some of those stereotypes
Many of thought coal and timber were the only assets in the region
That the people had no desire to move on from coal
And that they were unaware of the issues facing them
We were potently proven wrong upon traveling through the region we found that
The land was beautiful; the people were actively and passionately seeking solutions; the region was highly diverse and rich in cultures from around the world
But we also realized something quite heartbreaking; Many people in Appalachia grow up saturated in the myth
They internalize it and allow the image forced upon them to shape their lives
In the spirit of laying those mistruths to rest, I’m gonna hand it over to Mason so he can share with you more about the Appalachia of reality
-Benham Wisconsin Steel + International Harvester 1909
-Lynch U.S. Steel Corporation 1917
-Companies built the towns, and provided all the resources.
-this created advantages for the workers and their families, but also kept them isolated from the rest of the world.
Johnson, Dave. “History of Portal 31.” History, www.portal31.org/history_of_portal_31.htm.
-the currency used in many coal towns and in fact the way coal miners were paid was called coal scrip, and had no legal value as currency outside of the coal town.
-many public services were actually better than what might have been found elsewhere in the region, since officials of the coal towns shipped in good doctors and entertainers to provide the lifestyle they were used to.
Lynch also boasted a large venue for community events such as sports and performances. Houses were kept beautiful, and most had flower and vegetable gardens where they were able to grow their own food.
Culture was very diverse since people came from all over the world. Europeans came here straight from Ellis Island, and African Americans from the deep south moved north to seek employment as well.
-as mining technology improved throughout the mid 20th century, the need for mine workers decreased.
-then, as many of the larger mines in the region were depleted, mining jobs started to decrease even further.
-story about renee
Since the decline of coal industry in the region, former coal towns have been looking for ways to transform and recover themselves;
They redirected their natural assets to more sustainable ways of revenue streams
Currently, the town is trying to repurpose itself by promoting the adventure tourism.
Our EPG cohort has visited Lynch and experienced the tourism aspect of the town.
Visited: Portal, 31: educational value; new perspective to coal mining; revenue stream;
Met Mike Obradevich, community member and advocate.
Challenges: “Certified trail town yet not so successful because the land is sold to outsiders. ” - Mike Obradevich
Visited KY coal museum. It had displays of daily and communal life of people. The museum gives sort of a tour through Benham when it was a coal town
Moreover, Benham school turned into schoolhouse Inn; They host:
We appreciated the authenticity and how rooms were labeled with years of graduation of students up until the last year.
We would like to give some information about their population
Emphasize the decline
Difference in Lynch and Benham: 116
Known as Tri-Cities for decades;
“Form one government and combine their services ...
A merger would reduce costs, increase efficiency and give the unified city a better shot at government grants...” - Lexington Herald article
--As Kentucky and the rest of Appalachia experiences a shift from traditional coal and timber producing it is vital that there is another economy to fill the void. This is where adventure tourism comes into play as individuals realize that there is value to be found in developing outdoor tourism efforts.
-Trail towns are revitalizing the culture of Appalachia by providing new economic revenue streams in an sustainable way.
-The Kentucky Trail Town program defines a trail town as, “a vibrant destination community near a trail system that welcomes trail users in a hospitable manner.
-within outdoor tourism business there are many different divisions, which means that there is something for everyone.
*ask question* “are there any hikers in here?”
-well, Kentucky has an abundance of hiking destinations including the Pinnacles which is located right here in town and was voted the best hiking destination. There is also the Daniel Boone Trace Trail, good especially for history buffs, and Anglin Falls.
-Cycling: bike route 76 passes through Berea, as well as multiple other appalachian towns. Bikers that we met said that they enjoyed riding through the region.
Rock climbing: Red River Gorge is the 7th best rock climbing destination, not just in appalachia, not just in the u.s, but actually in the entire world.
-Kayaking: Rockcastle River (55 miles) and the Kentucky River (259 miles)
-next we’ll shift out focus to explore deeper the role that trail towns play in the economic development of the surrounding region.
-”As we reach the end of our presentation, you may take this time to prepare questions.”
-The Koo’s article defines a trail town as, “a gateway community to access trails.”
-The gateway community wording is key as a lot of the time the land itself does not gain significant revenue---
-for instance, in Lynch Kentucky the surrounding land is still owned by coal mines, some of which are still in operation.
-rather, the main source of revenue is gained from individuals returning to these “gateway” trail towns after they have completed their hike, bike ride etc.
-Mike O’ Bradivitch, a civic leader from Lynch KY mentioned that efforts need to be made as to how to get people off the trails and into the cities themselves.
-As we learned from community development planner Tonya Triplett in Abingdon Virginia, people need food, lodging and a lot of them want to stay for arts and cultural events as well.
-mention both the user intercept survey done for the pinnacles and the virginia creeper trail and how while the trails themselves might not bring in any revenue but rather it comes from the people coming into the town to stay for the food, places to stay, arts, and cultural history.
-”people want an experience”
-Now the names that I have up here on the screen are going to be ones that you’ll want to remember as they have been instrumental in the development of the Kentucky trail town program. They are not only all local business owners, but also people who have worked tiressly to promote the trail town destinations.
-both the recreational activities and the small business owners work in tandem.
-Tim Harding is the founder and owner of Boone Gap Outfitters, the only consignment hiking store in the state of Kentucky and discussed the importance of getting people on board with helping on the trails. Developing the Boone Trace Trail.
-Katie Startzman exhibited bootstrapping in designing her business: Native Bagel. Place where people come to eat after hiking.
-Mae: next Miguel's pizza, also known place to eat for hikers
-Jason (mayor) larry (rockcastle outdoor company) > identified place in market and provides water sport experiences to travelers/tourists
-Jessa Turner: prime example of someone who runs a business while also promoting tourism...has flyers and maps all over the place. Will give them directions to hard to find places such as Anglin Falls that are hard to find on your own.
-lastly mention how trails are bringing in revenue; cite Louisa Summers research
-trail towns are a move forwards. A way to preserve the past with an eye looking towards the future.
Thank you for attention!
We would like to take your questions.
