Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The most backwater place you ever spent time in.

Uncle's AF sent me to some really crappy places with two overseas deployments but my early years in the coal fields of Southern West Virginia were by far the worst experience as I reflect today..

The timeline was 1954 I was six just didn't realize how deplorable the little town of Maybeury was! [ that's right Maybeury not Mayberry as in the Andy Griffin show].

This Methodist church was my Dad's second charge after Seminary moving us from Neelys Bend Tennessee which was NE of Nashville to the Southern WV conference.

Maybeury was a typical coal town in those days folks barely scraping by for the necessities of life but nobody starved and all us kids had no clue how really poor we were.

The church provided Dad with a meager salary subsidized by furnishing the church parsonage [a company tract house built in the mid 30's] ,paid electric/water bills and all the coal for our winter heating needs. Summer brought fresh produce by parishioners,baked goods and gas cards for the local filling station.

Just a slice of my history in a different time and place to remember and relate to my children, grandchildren and future generations.

Always be thankful for the blessings God has granted, don't ever judge the poor or downtrodden as their shoes may have walked a thousand miles.





We lived in a row house similar to these built in 1939 by the coal Co.



The Company store before it was demolished.But where everyone shopped in those days.



Generally what I remember as a kid...dirt, soot and foul smelling air.