Public invited to free luncheon Sept. 19
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Award-winning filmmaker, author and Fulbright Scholar D. Stokes Piercy will visit Martin County this week to continue research for “Himler: Coal to Colonel,” his feature-length documentary about Himlerville founder and World War II intelligence officer Martin Himler.
As part of the visit, the Martin County Historical and Genealogical Society will host Piercy for a luncheon and special presentation at noon Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Collier Center in Inez.
Lunch begins at noon, with Piercy’s presentation to follow.
Piercy, an associate professor at East Tennessee State University, was selected as a 2025-26 Fulbright Scholar by the Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission. He traveled last fall to Hungary to research the life of Martin Himler, the Hungarian Jewish immigrant who founded Himlerville, the Martin County coal community now known as Beauty, before serving as a U.S. intelligence officer during World War II.
Himler came through Ellis Island in 1908 and eventually established an immigrant-run cooperative mining community in Martin County. Hungarian families held stock in the Himler Coal Company and operated outside the scrip system common in many company towns of the era.
Himler’s story extended far beyond the coalfields. He published a weekly newspaper, Magyar Bányázslap (Hungarian Miners’ Journal) which was circulated among Hungarian coal miners nationwide, owned a series of businesses and worked for the Office of Strategic Services arresting and interrogating more than 300 Nazis in post-war Europe. His wartime service earned him posthumous recognition through a Congressional Gold Medal in 2021.
Saturday’s program will highlight Himler’s life and legacy, the founding of Himlerville and the development of Piercy’s documentary.
Piercy will discuss his research in Kentucky and Hungary and the international significance of Martin County’s Hungarian heritage.
He has said the project will connect Appalachia and Hungary through a history shared across continents.
Piercy’s previous films have received 14 international awards and selections at more than 30 film festivals. His work at ETSU includes production, screenwriting, media theory and brand storytelling.
Reservations are required for Saturday’s luncheon and presentation. To attend, call or text 606-626-8831.
The event is free, though donations to the Martin County Historical and Genealogical Society are welcome.