Kentucky Coal Camp Documentary Project of the UK Appalachian Center: An Interactive Website

This panel will introduce and discuss a public resource: the UK Appalachian Center’s coal camp documentary website (available in the spring of 2014). Hundreds of coal camp sites are mapped on the website, and for some of the coal camps, like Balkan in Bell County, Kentucky, it is possible to navigate from the map to audio and visual documentary materials archived for broad public access. The panelists will discuss the project, which was originally inspired by the reminiscences and active historical documentation of Mr. James Walters, who grew up in Balkan, and grew to include documentation of annual reunions at Balkan and David, Kentucky, and the mapping and archival work leading to the creation of the interactive website. Mr. Walters’ children Sherry Ferguson, Jimmy Walters, and Trudy Walters Daniels will talk about the way in which former residents have kept Balkan a vibrant community through coming together once a year to share their memories of the coal camp. Ann Kingsolver will share and discuss some of the oral histories from Balkan and what they convey about diversity and shared experiences in coal camp life. Shane Barton will discuss the construction of the website, demonstrate its use, and invite further contributions to this collective public documentary project. Zada Komara will share her archival research and discuss materials on the website from several coal camps, especially in Floyd and Letcher Counties, Kentucky