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Stories of Place: LiKEN begins family cemeteries project in Martin County
BY PHILL BARNETT MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Madison Mooney and Karen Rignall were the guest speakers at last week’s Kiwanis meeting in Inez. Mooney and Rignall represented the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN) and presented an update on the nonprofit’s Stories of Place project in Martin County. Stories of Place, a LiKEN storytelling project, highlights…
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Glass soda pop bottles meant money back in the day
BY KYLE LOVERN Many kids today have money and a steady allowance. They never have to worry about buying things, and that’s OK. But back in the 1960s, we would turn in reusable pop bottles for money. If you lived near a grocery store in most communities, you could turn in those glass bottles for…
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Remembering the devastating 1977 Tug River flood
If you lived through it, you will never forget BY KYLE LOVERN The devastating and horrendous Tug Fork River flood of 1977 forever changed the Tug Valley area. The natural disaster overwhelmed residents who lived along the watershed in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, including Mingo, Pike and Martin counties. Torrential rains fell from…
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1983: The Year of the Cardinals
BY BOO NEWSOME MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — There are certain moments and times in high school sports that become legend. It all starts with the dreams of young boys and girls growing up in small communities like Martin County. Throw in the mix a good sports program and a supportive administration with good coaches and…
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1983 Lady Cardinals: A Dream Season 31-6
BY BOO NEWSOME MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Certain moments in high school sports become legendary. This rings true for the storied girls basketball program at Sheldon Clark, which made its fifth Sweet 16 appearance 50 years ago in 1983. Former Lady Cardinal star Robin Harmon-Newsome led the 1983 team as a first-year coach. As a…
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Historic first Hall of Fame induction ceremony April 15 in Inez
Ceremony will honor 24 individuals and two teams CITIZEN STAFF REPORT INEZ, Ky. — The first 24 individuals and two teams will be inducted into the Martin County All-Sports Hall of Fame for their extraordinary contributions to athletics. A historic first induction ceremony is set for noon April 15 at the HOF and Museum’s new…
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Remembering phone booths: They have disappeared from our landscape
BY KYLE LOVERN Phone booths used to be everywhere, but you don’t see them these days. I guess the younger generation wouldn’t even know what one was if they saw it. Heck, they would not even know how to use a rotary-style telephone inside an older booth. The first public coin-operated pay phone appeared in…
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1951 Kermit mine disaster: Eleven coal miners died in explosion at Burning Springs Collieries
BY KYLE LOVERNMOUNTAIN CITIZEN (Editor’s Note: This is a rewrite of a story Lovern penned in 2006 about the Kermit mine disaster at Burning Springs on Jan. 18, 1951. Information for the original story came from newspaper archives at the Mingo County Library in Williamson and from an interview with the late Clyde Sparks, who…
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Himlerville History
BY KARSON HAMMOND, MARLEE GRAYSON and KALEB RUSH Have you ever wondered how coal mining came to be or evolved where you live? Considering the fact that coal mining is such an important part of our community, I’d say that most of you have given it a thought. Well, I decided to do a little…
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Kermit’s 1975 state champs brought pride to community
BY KYLE LOVERNFOR THE CITIZEN The 1975 Kermit Blue Devils state championship squad is pictured above along with the cheerleaders. The team was coached by the late John Preece. The Kermit Blue Devils brought home their second Class A state championship trophy back in 1975, and that squad is still talked about fondly among locals…
Tag: History
