Can you drive up through Roderfield and Big Sandy, towards Westchester? I have not been there in years and I miss my home so bad and would love to see what it looks like now!
Why not go to the panther state forest, do a drive thru of the place, I really miss being back there but Lord willing I'm moving back this year to work in the mines for my uncle
I can't explain it but I am fascinated with anything coal county. People, culture, terrain etc. It is truly DEEP AMERICANA. Thanks for what you're doing. Great work.
My dad grew up in the house to the left of the junior high, he had 8 siblings. They are all gone now. He played football basketball and baseball for Ieager HS. He always said they taught the "Three R's" at Ieager HS, reading, 'riting, and the road to Roanoke
Thanks for the video of my hometown. I remember when I was a youngun we'd go to town once or twice a month and you would have to walk in the streets because the sidewalks were so crowded. Coal was always feast or famine.
A small town that helped build a huge part of US. Iaeger is a "BIG" roll in our history. Imagine the steel and other items, along with "ELECTRICITY" that came from all the coal that came from that small town. Also that Marathon Gas Station you passed, in the start of the video, belonged to my uncle Sam Butler's gas station. To that train engine should be sitting in Iaeger and not somewhere else, because the coal started from there! Great overhead footage, hurts me bad to see this town this way. Played a role in a big part of my life. God Bless you, love your video's! (Glen) WV.
I actually come from a village in North East Wales called Gresford. I went down the pit in 1973, the following year it closed ,I went past the sealed mineshaft where in 1934, 266 men lost their lives, so perhaps being from Wales, we have a connect with West Virginia.🏴🇬🇧🏴
I drove a delivery truck for 44 years in southern WV where I live and southwest VA. In the late 80s it took me 3-4 hours to deliver in downtown Iaeger! Things sure have changed! Enjoying your channel!
I'm a history addict. I've Yankee roots but the Shenandoah Valley is my adopted home. I love to explore SW VA and WV coal country on my motorcycle. I have a deep appreciation for the fact that this region provided the raw energy and material that helped make the US the greatest country in the world. It saddens me to see however those formerly lively communities in coal country perishing. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.
My dad was born in coal town and county seat Clintwood, VA. I, who was born and live in MN., have "hillbilly" roots that have been a part of my 71 years of life. The greatest gift my dad and my family in the hills of Virginia ever bestowed on me was the gift of southern hospitality; the overwhelming experience of love through being welcomed and well fed always warms the heart.
Ya know that Coal, Oil n Gas can be burned clean..... Also the waste stacks can be scrubbed clean as it exhausts..... I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT.... be well..
"The Mine Wars", PBS, "American Experience". One of the most interesting, and educational shows I've ever seen! I've been a union, and non-union employee, and was completely engrossed in this program! Thanks for your travels and contributions to this incredibly important area of our country! ✌️
Josh, your camera work and editing is first class... The music, and everything is as good if not better than large production companies... Great Job Brother... Extremely enjoyed it... God Bless... 😁👍👍❤❤❤
Loved the visual work in this one!!!!! 😍 So many interesting stories from this small town. Can’t wait for the next episode! This is such a good series!!
Went to Iaeger hi school 1967-69 CUBS played football, the town was roaring back then, all those buildings had businesses in them. Had a couple of banks theater, a lot of money came through Iaeger.👉💰👈
@@gojira5425 We played football together, we were best friends. We had some good times together. Ronnie was a class act back in those days, Mr. Cool.🏈😎
I feel like I’m watching a high quality history show. This series has incredible history and you have such an interesting and captivating way of talking about it all. The visual effects are amazing as well!! I loved seeing the old buildings there, such as the hotel. Fascinating.
When I was younger, I traveled through Ieager often. I guess over time I have forgotten how Ieager looked. It was fascinating to see the old Ieager High School after all these years. Before moving from the McDowell area, my sister actually graduated from that very building. Thanks for bringing back those memories. Great job!
My mom was from Iaeget I spent several summers there and had a good time My favorite aunt Laike Croziet taught at the old school. Mom left Iaeger for Florida where I was born and raised. Have not been to Iaeget in 40 years.
Would you happen to know the brown family then. James Russell brown. He made furniture. People around there called him rusty but he had three girls. Lauraine Ruby and Maxine there father and mother died and ruby claims that they had to climb a mountain to bury them. Would you happen to know where that cemetary is. Not the blevens cemetary but the one that's on the hill.
Wow, I'm surprised to find any videos about Ieager. My father's side of the family are all from Ieager and surrounding counties. Lots of stories come out of these counties. Wild bunch of relatives and their friends, lots of folks picking guitars and singing. Many happy memories of sitting on my Grandmammas' front porch watching all of these characters. Thanks for posting this video!
Sounds amazing !, I'm over in the uk and always fascinated by this way of life in the states. I come from a mining community in the north of england and we also suffered with the closures in the 80s . Still strong communities and folk so friendly . .
Binging on your videos!! Worked in coal testing for AEP for just shy of 40 years. It saddens me to see these old mines and towns dying off or on life support. 😢 Keep up the good work. Maybe do some in Eastern/SE Ohio as well.
Was down there 3 weeks ago for my wife’s family reunion. Beautiful hills but the ditches and streams are full of trash. Sad. Her family are a great bunch of people. How they build homes and get mobile homes into some of those “ hollows “ is beyond me. She is related to both the Hatfields and McCoys but mostly McCoys.
So interesting. I'm am doing genealogical research on a line from Wayne County, West Virginia. It has sparked my interest in how hard life was in the coal mining families. They had a hard life, for sure.
Just got back from a trip to Washington DC via West Virginia. The beauty of this state is absolutely stunning. Traveling the small highways and roads off the major interstates is an absolute must for anyone who is a history buff. This place is incredible and easily rivals the larger moutainous states such as Colorado. There are 10 times the amount of roads and byways cutting through all of Appalachia which makes access to even the smallest of towns possible. Keep up the great work. If not for the hard working people of Appalachia there would have been no coal to fire the blast furnaces of the steel industry which inspired the entire Industrial Revolution and built great cities and infastructure all across America. Sadly there are people working overtime to destroy the entire coal industry and along with it an entire way of life. Dont let this happen. Appalachia deserves much better and its coal industry should be celebrated not demonized. Its a god damn shame.
It's unfortunate, but Appalachia- especially WV, East TN & KY have suffered from gross yellow journalism that has given such a derogatory misconception of the area. Many people simply are unaware of the region's beauty, and its wonderful people! I intend to contribute more objective cultural journalism with my work. Thanks for watching!
As an eastern european, even though these towns seem depressingly empty, the tons of movies, series, videogames, stories etc. we’ve seen involving such towns, either comedy, horror or whatnot, made me see these kind of towns as incredibly interesting 😂
Reminds me of a little place called Bates Hollow. It's in Upstate NY..its in Durham County, that's where you'll find lots of Irish families..there was actually a BAR up there called the DoDrop In!! 8 stools!! So authentic!! 1983..Great Year! I rode on the back seat of my man's '58 Panhead..rigid frame..stripped right down..those were the days. I could cry right now if I let myself. I'm so darn lucky I got to see all that. America. It was still America.
hey can you do one of around Owsley County please? i've read that county in KY is just as poor and depressed as Mcdowell County is, and has a lot of health issues too like from 1980-2014 the rate of death from cancer there rose by 45.6%, i'd kinda like to learn more about it, especially since i'm from outside of DC in Maryland here
Walked those streets as a very young boy with my grandparents mid to late 70's if i remember correctly that hardware store was a Ben Franklin store. Great video sure did bring back some good memories.
I 100% believe in my past life i Lived in Appalachian i have dreams about it. i'v never been there but for some reason i, drawn to it and feel the need to go there. i watch every thing i can on it and look at every video and photo.i feel a pull. but i was born in N.W, Arkansas. im now 61 and still feel the pull to even just go have a look. to see what i see.
i was raised all my life in Iaeger, our town is destroyed now, not really much left, you should have checked out guessesfork virginia near hurley they got flooded back in Aug 2021, alot of people lost their homes, they are just now getting it straightened up, but we suppose to get more rain so all the places that have flooded are in danger of flooding again, i enjoy your videos so glad you went through Iaeger, that was my school back in the day, it was alot nicer and so was our other schools, most have never even heard of our little town
Thank you for another most interesting and informative video. I think next time I visit the US I will have to make the journey to this part of the country.
In 1979 I made deliveries to the Dairy Queen in town . This video brings back memories of driving my semi truck from Columbus, Ohio through southern West Virginia.
America the great as we can see in many of your videos. West Virginia is such a special place to explore and slow down a little bit. I always enjoy it anytime I drive through. Thanks bud 👍 for showing the real America 🇺🇸
My parents were born and raised there in Iaeger. My parents graduated from that old high school. Thanks for driving through, I really need to go back for a visit. I used to have a subscription to The Industrial News and they delivered it to me in Michigan! I think they only printed a paper on Wednesday's
Loved these videos Josh. I am a city kid (Brooklyn, NY) and I love the chance to explore this part of the country. So much - beauty (lush - foggy mountain tops) and so much history...and for years and years, coal kept the lights on and the cities bright. Keep making these videos...and a sidebar...the background music is great- credits? Again, thank you Sir.
This video was awesome! My pawpaw was born in Fort Gay, West Virginia.. Can you explore? Id love to see the town. Had an uncle that worked for the railroad.
Thank you for showing me the hollers I have been to only 1 holler in my life in Virginia and it was gorgeous. Because when I was younger I lived in North Ohio I truly enjoy your videos you're showing thank you so much please don't stop showing them. It's my way of seeing West Virginia Virginia Kentucky that you're going to I love it thank you
Used to drive by here on the way to Omar every summer as a kid. I used to read the billboards on the back of the brick buildings from across the river as we passed.
My Father was born in McDowell County WV in a little place called Jolo. I remember as a kid going from Big Rock, Buchanan county, Virginia to Jolo to visit my Granny. I had cousins and Aunts and Uncles there too. This would have been in the fifties. My family moved North when i was 12 but i will always remember with fondness of growing up there.
I grew up in the town right before Iaeger, Roderfield. Doesn't look like much but it was the best place in the world to grow up. Kids ran free with no worries. Such great times!
The Tug and Dryfork rivers meet and make the Tugfork river from that point on downstream. Google maps doesn't know everything. In fact Google changes a lot of things without the consent of the indiginous people.
Everyone ALWAYS asks me where I'm from because of my slang and I just tell them a little town in WV that has less people in it than the block we are on where i now live in one of the most populated cities in the us with a metro area of like 10 million people. Kinda vague for me to describe iaeger like that but I hate thinking about my hometown because I don't feel like I have one any more, poor little iaeger is a ruin now. I'm just glad I can remember so many good times there before it became more decrepit.
Been looking at a house on New Richmond Bottom road, USPS is down the street and internet not easy to get, requires some satellite company for that which is 89.00 a month
I'm looking for a peaceful place for my wife and me to retire to.maybe my social security could provide a good living in this part of the country. These videos are priceless
I don't see your music used in this video listed in the description. Where do you find the music you use for your videos? I like the first track. BTW, I'm just over the big hill from you in the Fincastle area.
My grandmother, Mrs. Stella Call lived there a good part of her life until she passed away in 1974. I'd be willing to bet that most of her friends and acquaintances are gone too by now.
Drove by Iaeger back in 2011 while on a solo motorcycle tour. Decided to take rt52 to head towards an over nite in Pikeville, ky. Left Bluefield VA at about 3pm in early October. What a mistake! As darkness fell, fatigue st in after an already long day. I was now driving on rt 52 in the dark, leap-frogging a huge coal train along the way. Suddenly I came upon the “downtown” of Iaeger on my right…..clearly looking abandoned, but still with some streetlites….and the wail of the train horn reverberating around the small valley. Due to severe fatigue from riding nearly all day, the train horn and the sight of iaeger, I was struck with an eerie feeling….. I later made Pikeville at about 10:30 pm….got into the hotel room, turned on the bathroom light and was stunned to see my face was nearly completely blackened from coal dust! I had been leap-frogging with that coal train for hours. On the return trip about a week later, I decided to take the same route, Ute this time in the daytime. Stopped in Welch, met Tom Acosta, a local artist, and learned about what happened to Iaeger. Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 2001 California EV. I still have it 🤓
@@MountainRoots Now the bike is 20 years old....and I'm hitting 69 this summer. The bike is on-the-road and ready-to-roll....but as far as long-distance solo rides...ah, thinkin' twice about that at this point in my life. :) Tom was a very nice guy to talk with...he was painting a huge mural (of a clown?? or something like that?) in downtown Welch. He did direct me to some type of drive-in restaurant. I had fried cat-fish for lunch, served by a woman with a classic bee-hive hairdo :) Iaeger was a strange experience...especially coming across it at night. The road was damn windy at points with hairpin turns, and my arms were killin' me from grippin' the handlebars for over 8 hours. Not fun to do that trip in the dark and deeply fatigued. The hairpins were tough because on the bike, you have to slow down to a crawl, almost at the point of tipping over :)
Neat, neat. I love old national bank buildings and collect the old national currency they issued, so thanks for showing the old First National Bank of Iaeger - a grand ruin indeed. For Iaeger to have had such a large graded and junior high school is indicative of the once large population.
Just signed on, MR. Beautiful landscapes! Even nicer than where I live in central TN. Our one great blessing: we have 30 varieties of trees, and so the hillsides look like bouquets of shades and shapes of green.
Good video with a good balance of music and voice. I am a West Virginian ( Cherry Falls) and have never been to this town. Thanks to your video I now feel like I have a connection to this town. If buildings could talk.😃
Great video! I agree with L D, it would be interesting to hear talk about their towns & what it means to them. i did enjoy the drone shots and i loved hearing the history. I hadn't realized so much happened in the places you visited. Thanks for filming!
I know the area pretty good. I was told you should not go in the high school because the black mold was so bad it was dangerous. The elementary school back up the road is now Little Sparrow ministry. I helped build the deck on the back of the building, and put wood on the side steps. There is so much poverty in this area it's just sad. Houses that are unlivable with no running water, heat or windows and people still living in them. I have never seen living conditions like this in my life. They shut down the Walmart because the shop lifting was so bad. I was told by one individual that Iaeger used to thrive back in the 60's. I was told not to drink the water because it was not safe. The sewers dump directly into the river. I guess this is what happens when the coal tycoons raped the land, screwed the people over and then moved on. The same thing has happened in many other areas of our great nation. Greed is king.
Next time you are in southern WV, you may want to take a trip through Mullens, loop through Pineville, on into Oceana, and then finally Kopperston, the latter of which was one of the last coal camps build (1938) and was lauded as the 'Nation’s Model Coal Camp'
Iaeger is what would probably be considered my grandmothers home town. She was the daughter of a coal miner and born in a cabin a mile or two north of town. I know her father worked at a few different mines and they moved to Welch eventually before ultimately moving out of state because her mother was very sick and needed medical treatment, but I would assume she went to the school you showed for at least a couple of years before they moved.
Josh my son is a Rail Road Signal Man is Iager, he bumped a guy to take the Signal Maintainers position over around Rich Creek Virginia, he couldn’t wait to come back to Iager, didn’t care much for the folks down that way in Virginia, I’ll put MacDowell County people against any in the world, I called on McDowell County for 35 1/2 years,Love those people.
Sorry, but I'm a Yankee, but worked with a bunch of guys from WVA and KY and just really enjoy your series. I have 5 series I never miss and you're one of those five. Keep it rollin!!!
My Grandfather, Rufus Church of War fought in that war. He was with the Coal Miners Union and the company had thrown him out of the home he was in, a 'company home' at 4 am in the morning. Grandpa was mad and he made it through that war just fine.
I still think these dead towns should recreate their town with Airbnbs plus maybe a ride in a mine (like Beckley, WV). Hopefully recreational cannabis will be allowed. That would be a tourist attraction plus the taxes that the state and city/town receives is phenomenal. They could take those funds to invigorate the area by creating all types of recreational areas, ie hiking, camping, and family areas- endless possibilities. If the town still exists and still have coal camp house then people could rent them to see how people lived. ❤️ from Cross Lanes, West Virginia.
My husband and I love your videos. Sad to see so many vacant buildings, but thats common in rural areas. How about Tazewell Co? Field unit on Rt 61. Downtown Tazewell? Loved driving home through Baptist Valley hearing the music from the front porches. God bless you and your family.
Hi Josh, thank you again for another very interesting video on this place. I often imagine, while watching, what life was like for those who lived here. While probably not the easiest way to make a living, I cannot help but think that those people were of a tight community looking out for each other, not like today where most of my neighbors are strangers to me. I appreciate seeing all of your videos like this one. While I am not totally familiar with places to suggest for your next videos, I do enjoy riding along with you just the same. Also, great choice of background music. I really liked that as well! Thumbs up and subscribed. Thanks, again.
Very informative video and very well done. Are you allowed to enter into the old high school for love to see a walk through of some of those buildings. Thank you for your time on portraying these forgotten towns and their history.
I think you are doing a service that is greater perhaps than many realize at first blush. It's interesting, but you are chronicling pieces of American history, that at some point will be lost forever. It's living history.
Thanks for watching! Where should we explore next? *UPDATE* Song Playlist in the description!
Would love for you to come do Haywood NC!!
Can you drive up through Roderfield and Big Sandy, towards Westchester? I have not been there in years and I miss my home so bad and would love to see what it looks like now!
Baileysville, WV in Wyoming County ....... Sand Lick Mountain in Raleigh County ..... THANKS !
Why not go to the panther state forest, do a drive thru of the place, I really miss being back there but Lord willing I'm moving back this year to work in the mines for my uncle
its all new to me. I think anywhere you choose could be interesting
I can't explain it but I am fascinated with anything coal county. People, culture, terrain etc. It is truly DEEP AMERICANA. Thanks for what you're doing. Great work.
You're welcome, so glad you enjoy it!
My dad grew up in the house to the left of the junior high, he had 8 siblings. They are all gone now. He played football basketball and baseball for Ieager HS. He always said they taught the "Three R's" at Ieager HS, reading, 'riting, and the road to Roanoke
Lived in twin branch went to that place often
We will all be gone.
We lived across the road from the Jr. Hi School. I attended school there from 1953 to 1956.
@@calwolfe3094 did you know any Hammes'. Dad was the youngest of 8. Played football and basketball for the high school. Graduated around 1950
@@jonhammes6209
Thanks for the video of my hometown. I remember when I was a youngun we'd go to town once or twice a month and you would have to walk in the streets because the sidewalks were so crowded. Coal was always feast or famine.
Another winner in your series of revealing Appalachian culture and its contribution to American history!
Thanks! & Thanks for watching!
A small town that helped build a huge part of US. Iaeger is a "BIG" roll in our history. Imagine the steel and other items, along with "ELECTRICITY" that came from all the coal that came from that small town. Also that Marathon Gas Station you passed, in the start of the video, belonged to my uncle Sam Butler's gas station. To that train engine should be sitting in Iaeger and not somewhere else, because the coal started from there! Great overhead footage, hurts me bad to see this town this way. Played a role in a big part of my life. God Bless you, love your video's! (Glen) WV.
Thanks for sharing this interesting history.
I agree with what Tony DiSalvo said.
Vote Democrat...and You'll see Much More of This....!!!!....
Where did the name originate?
My family comes from egerland.
Stalin erased it in 46.
@@marcruby5844 and yet all of these counties are run by republicans. typical right winger to complain and blame everybody else for his problems.
This is super educational and I am loving this channel. This part is irrelevant but my goodness- West Virginia is beautiful!
I love these old towns I wish some Rich Son of a Gun could fix all them old buildings restore all the towns .
I actually come from a village in North East Wales called Gresford. I went down the pit in 1973, the following year it closed ,I went past the sealed mineshaft where in 1934, 266 men lost their lives, so perhaps being from Wales, we have a connect with West Virginia.🏴🇬🇧🏴
Good to hear from you! 👍🙂
I drove a delivery truck for 44 years in southern WV where I live and southwest VA. In the late 80s it took me 3-4 hours to deliver in downtown Iaeger! Things sure have changed! Enjoying your channel!
Yup they sure have changed and not for the better places like this definitely went to shit
I'm a history addict. I've Yankee roots but the Shenandoah Valley is my adopted home. I love to explore SW VA and WV coal country on my motorcycle. I have a deep appreciation for the fact that this region provided the raw energy and material that helped make the US the greatest country in the world. It saddens me to see however those formerly lively communities in coal country perishing. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, I really appreciate you watching!
My dad was born in coal town and county seat Clintwood, VA. I, who was born and live in MN., have "hillbilly" roots that have been a part of my 71 years of life. The greatest gift my dad and my family in the hills of Virginia ever bestowed on me was the gift of southern hospitality; the overwhelming experience of love through being welcomed and well fed always warms the heart.
It sure does! Love that, thanks for watching!!
Ya know that Coal, Oil n Gas can be burned clean..... Also the waste stacks can be scrubbed clean as it exhausts..... I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT.... be well..
"The Mine Wars", PBS, "American Experience". One of the most interesting, and educational shows I've ever seen! I've been a union, and non-union employee, and was completely engrossed in this program! Thanks for your travels and contributions to this incredibly important area of our country! ✌️
Josh, your camera work and editing is first class... The music, and everything is as good if not better than large production companies... Great Job Brother... Extremely enjoyed it... God Bless... 😁👍👍❤❤❤
Our newspaper mentioned the Matewan Massacre was today in 1920..
Sure was!
Loved the visual work in this one!!!!! 😍 So many interesting stories from this small town. Can’t wait for the next episode! This is such a good series!!
Thanks for watching!
Went to Iaeger hi school 1967-69 CUBS played football, the town was roaring back then, all those buildings had businesses in them. Had a couple of banks theater, a lot of money came through Iaeger.👉💰👈
My dad went to Iaeger High around that time. Ronnie Cline.
@@gojira5425 We played football together, we were best friends. We had some good times together. Ronnie was a class act back in those days, Mr. Cool.🏈😎
I feel like I’m watching a high quality history show. This series has incredible history and you have such an interesting and captivating way of talking about it all. The visual effects are amazing as well!! I loved seeing the old buildings there, such as the hotel. Fascinating.
When I was younger, I traveled through Ieager often. I guess over time I have forgotten how Ieager looked. It was fascinating to see the old Ieager High School after all these years. Before moving from the McDowell area, my sister actually graduated from that very building. Thanks for bringing back those memories.
Great job!
Oh wow! So glad the video brought back memories for you 😊
My mom was from Iaeget
I spent several summers there and had a good time
My favorite aunt Laike Croziet taught at the old school. Mom left Iaeger for Florida where I was born and raised. Have not been to Iaeget in 40 years.
Sorry. Misspelled Iaeger twice. Nobody's perfect.
Laike Crozier taught there.
Would you happen to know the brown family then. James Russell brown. He made furniture. People around there called him rusty but he had three girls. Lauraine Ruby and Maxine there father and mother died and ruby claims that they had to climb a mountain to bury them. Would you happen to know where that cemetary is. Not the blevens cemetary but the one that's on the hill.
Wow, I'm surprised to find any videos about Ieager. My father's side of the family are all from Ieager and surrounding counties. Lots of stories come out of these counties. Wild bunch of relatives and their friends, lots of folks picking guitars and singing. Many happy memories of sitting on my Grandmammas' front porch watching all of these characters. Thanks for posting this video!
Sounds amazing !, I'm over in the uk and always fascinated by this way of life in the states. I come from a mining community in the north of england and we also suffered with the closures in the 80s . Still strong communities and folk so friendly . .
I took an economics class one time (1990’s), and the story of Ieager was actually a case study in the back of the book.
Binging on your videos!! Worked in coal testing for AEP for just shy of 40 years. It saddens me to see these old mines and towns dying off or on life support. 😢 Keep up the good work. Maybe do some in Eastern/SE Ohio as well.
Trump brought back clean clean coal. Coal production is at its highest since the 1920 's.
Was down there 3 weeks ago for my wife’s family reunion. Beautiful hills but the ditches and streams are full of trash. Sad. Her family are a great bunch of people. How they build homes and get mobile homes into some of those “ hollows “ is beyond me. She is related to both the Hatfields and McCoys but mostly McCoys.
So interesting. I'm am doing genealogical research on a line from Wayne County, West Virginia. It has sparked my interest in how hard life was in the coal mining families. They had a hard life, for sure.
Just got back from a trip to Washington DC via West Virginia. The beauty of this state is absolutely stunning. Traveling the small highways and roads off the major interstates is an absolute must for anyone who is a history buff. This place is incredible and easily rivals the larger moutainous states such as Colorado. There are 10 times the amount of roads and byways cutting through all of Appalachia which makes access to even the smallest of towns possible. Keep up the great work. If not for the hard working people of Appalachia there would have been no coal to fire the blast furnaces of the steel industry which inspired the entire Industrial Revolution and built great cities and infastructure all across America. Sadly there are people working overtime to destroy the entire coal industry and along with it an entire way of life. Dont let this happen. Appalachia deserves much better and its coal industry should be celebrated not demonized. Its a god damn shame.
It's unfortunate, but Appalachia- especially WV, East TN & KY have suffered from gross yellow journalism that has given such a derogatory misconception of the area. Many people simply are unaware of the region's beauty, and its wonderful people! I intend to contribute more objective cultural journalism with my work. Thanks for watching!
I agree with you, the beauty of this state is stunning. Best comment.
@@MountainRoots The beauty of this state is absolutely stunning.
My great grandma lived in Iaeger, as did my dad when he was little and from what my half sister tells me we still have cousins that live there.
As an eastern european, even though these towns seem depressingly empty, the tons of movies, series, videogames, stories etc. we’ve seen involving such towns, either comedy, horror or whatnot, made me see these kind of towns as incredibly interesting 😂
We are from Brasil 🇧🇷Estamos te acompanhando. Sucesso pra ti.
Reminds me of a little place called Bates Hollow. It's in Upstate NY..its in Durham County, that's where you'll find lots of Irish families..there was actually a BAR up there called the DoDrop In!! 8 stools!! So authentic!! 1983..Great Year! I rode on the back seat of my man's '58 Panhead..rigid frame..stripped right down..those were the days. I could cry right now if I let myself. I'm so darn lucky I got to see all that. America. It was still America.
❤😊
I enjoyed this. Completely different world to Brisbane Australia. Thanks for sharing.
hey can you do one of around Owsley County please? i've read that county in KY is just as poor and depressed as Mcdowell County is, and has a lot of health issues too like from 1980-2014 the rate of death from cancer there rose by 45.6%, i'd kinda like to learn more about it, especially since i'm from outside of DC in Maryland here
I thought Trump was going to put these people back to work? So much for his promises
Walked those streets as a very young boy with my grandparents mid to late 70's if i remember correctly that hardware store was a Ben Franklin store. Great video sure did bring back some good memories.
Hope this channel blows up man
Really appreciate that 😊
I need a hillbilly woman and piece of land.
I 100% believe in my past life i Lived in Appalachian i have dreams about it. i'v never been there but for some reason i, drawn to it and feel the need to go there. i watch every thing i can on it and look at every video and photo.i feel a pull. but i was born in N.W, Arkansas. im now 61 and still feel the pull to even just go have a look. to see what i see.
Perhaps the mountains are calling?
i was raised all my life in Iaeger, our town is destroyed now, not really much left, you should have checked out guessesfork virginia near hurley they got flooded back in Aug 2021, alot of people lost their homes, they are just now getting it straightened up, but we suppose to get more rain so all the places that have flooded are in danger of flooding again, i enjoy your videos so glad you went through Iaeger, that was my school back in the day, it was alot nicer and so was our other schools, most have never even heard of our little town
I have,been to hurley too.lived in Buchanan County for about 6 yrs.
Thank you for another most interesting and informative video. I think next time I visit the US I will have to make the journey to this part of the country.
In 1979 I made deliveries to the Dairy Queen in town . This video brings back memories of driving my semi truck from Columbus, Ohio through southern West Virginia.
America the great as we can see in many of your videos. West Virginia is such a special place to explore and slow down a little bit. I always enjoy it anytime I drive through. Thanks bud 👍 for showing the real America 🇺🇸
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
My parents were born and raised there in Iaeger. My parents graduated from that old high school. Thanks for driving through, I really need to go back for a visit. I used to have a subscription to The Industrial News and they delivered it to me in Michigan! I think they only printed a paper on Wednesday's
That's amazing!
Did you know JB and Laike Crozier on Hy 52?
My mother and father were born and raised in Iaeger and graduated from the old high school. My mother was a Collins and my father was a Carter.
Loved these videos Josh. I am a city kid (Brooklyn, NY) and I love the chance to explore this part of the country. So much - beauty (lush - foggy mountain tops) and so much history...and for years and years, coal kept the lights on and the cities bright. Keep making these videos...and a sidebar...the background music is great- credits? Again, thank you Sir.
I hope you got it into the woods.
I've lived in the area for nearly 21 years. Enjoyed picking out the buildings that I've worked on as a contractor. Thank you
This video was awesome! My pawpaw was born in Fort Gay, West Virginia.. Can you explore? Id love to see the town. Had an uncle that worked for the railroad.
Thank you for showing me the hollers I have been to only 1 holler in my life in Virginia and it was gorgeous. Because when I was younger I lived in North Ohio I truly enjoy your videos you're showing thank you so much please don't stop showing them. It's my way of seeing West Virginia Virginia Kentucky that you're going to I love it thank you
Used to drive by here on the way to Omar every summer as a kid. I used to read the billboards on the back of the brick buildings from across the river as we passed.
Love it. There's my house and white van at the 1 minute 30 second mark.
My Father was born in McDowell County WV in a little place called Jolo. I remember as a kid going from Big Rock, Buchanan county, Virginia to Jolo to visit my Granny. I had cousins and Aunts and Uncles there too. This would have been in the fifties. My family moved North when i was 12 but i will always remember with fondness of growing up there.
I really appreciate your videos. They take me places I can't go, and back through many areas that I remember in West Virginia.
NEW SUBSCRIBER HERE!! BECKLEY WVFKNA! IM PICKIN UP EHAT YOU'RE PUTTIN DOWN💯
I grew up in the town right before Iaeger, Roderfield. Doesn't look like much but it was the best place in the world to grow up. Kids ran free with no worries. Such great times!
The Tug and Dryfork rivers meet and make the Tugfork river from that point on downstream. Google maps doesn't know everything. In fact Google changes a lot of things without the consent of the indiginous people.
Everyone ALWAYS asks me where I'm from because of my slang and I just tell them a little town in WV that has less people in it than the block we are on where i now live in one of the most populated cities in the us with a metro area of like 10 million people. Kinda vague for me to describe iaeger like that but I hate thinking about my hometown because I don't feel like I have one any more, poor little iaeger is a ruin now. I'm just glad I can remember so many good times there before it became more decrepit.
Had a lot of great memories in Iaeger as a child. It's not what it once was but it'll definitely always be a special place. Great video
Been looking at a house on New Richmond Bottom road, USPS is down the street and internet not easy to get, requires some satellite company for that which is 89.00 a month
I'm looking for a peaceful place for my wife and me to retire to.maybe my social security could provide a good living in this part of the country.
These videos are priceless
That train ran every night right behind my grandfather's house windows rattle and was just behind the creek beautiful place
My family came from the top of a holler on Johnny Cake Mountain just outside of Iager.
John Kennedy
I don't see your music used in this video listed in the description. Where do you find the music you use for your videos? I like the first track. BTW, I'm just over the big hill from you in the Fincastle area.
Right on! I use various music subscriptions, so far for the Exploring Appalachia series I'm pulling music from Epidemic Sound.
My grandmother, Mrs. Stella Call lived there a good part of her life until she passed away in 1974. I'd be willing to bet that most of her friends and acquaintances are gone too by now.
😔
Where my baby is from ❤️
I really enjoyed watching that and the one I watched last night thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed every minute of this
Drove by Iaeger back in 2011 while on a solo motorcycle tour. Decided to take rt52 to head towards an over nite in Pikeville, ky. Left Bluefield VA at about 3pm in early October. What a mistake! As darkness fell, fatigue st in after an already long day. I was now driving on rt 52 in the dark, leap-frogging a huge coal train along the way. Suddenly I came upon the “downtown” of Iaeger on my right…..clearly looking abandoned, but still with some streetlites….and the wail of the train horn reverberating around the small valley.
Due to severe fatigue from riding nearly all day, the train horn and the sight of iaeger, I was struck with an eerie feeling…..
I later made Pikeville at about 10:30 pm….got into the hotel room, turned on the bathroom light and was stunned to see my face was nearly completely blackened from coal dust! I had been leap-frogging with that coal train for hours.
On the return trip about a week later, I decided to take the same route, Ute this time in the daytime. Stopped in Welch, met Tom Acosta, a local artist, and learned about what happened to Iaeger.
Motorcycle: Moto Guzzi 2001 California EV. I still have it 🤓
Great story! I know Tom, in fact he and my wife worked on some art projects back in the early 2000's. Still ride the bike much?
@@MountainRoots Now the bike is 20 years old....and I'm hitting 69 this summer. The bike is on-the-road and ready-to-roll....but as far as long-distance solo rides...ah, thinkin' twice about that at this point in my life. :) Tom was a very nice guy to talk with...he was painting a huge mural (of a clown?? or something like that?) in downtown Welch. He did direct me to some type of drive-in restaurant. I had fried cat-fish for lunch, served by a woman with a classic bee-hive hairdo :)
Iaeger was a strange experience...especially coming across it at night. The road was damn windy at points with hairpin turns, and my arms were killin' me from grippin' the handlebars for over 8 hours. Not fun to do that trip in the dark and deeply fatigued. The hairpins were tough because on the bike, you have to slow down to a crawl, almost at the point of tipping over :)
Neat, neat. I love old national bank buildings and collect the old national currency they issued, so thanks for showing the old First National Bank of Iaeger - a grand ruin indeed. For Iaeger to have had such a large graded and junior high school is indicative of the once large population.
Just signed on, MR. Beautiful landscapes! Even nicer than where I live in central TN. Our one great blessing: we have 30 varieties of trees, and so the hillsides look like bouquets of shades and shapes of green.
Love Tennessee!
Good video with a good balance of music and voice. I am a West Virginian ( Cherry Falls) and have never been to this town. Thanks to your video I now feel like I have a connection to this town. If buildings could talk.😃
Great video! I agree with L D, it would be interesting to hear talk about their towns & what it means to them.
i did enjoy the drone shots and i loved hearing the history. I hadn't realized so much happened in the places you visited. Thanks for filming!
Wow a 25 mph speed limit on the road…tell me that’s not a speed trap…🚔🚔🚔🚔
Dude! So good! If only it were 30 minutes longer! lol
I'll work on that 😉
Thanks Josh for sharing. Does your Dad do videos like these?
That fire truck only has like 20k miles on it. It's a column shift too.
good work, one could break sections of the country down and make that a career...
My great grandfather founded the vfw here awesome men i just moved from iaeger 2 months ago
Sure is beautiful. I live in Alberta not far from the Rockies, and these mountains are just as beautiful in their own way!
very pretty nature around the town 😚
hell every thing is broke or out of business! wtf.😮😅😊
i ENJOY U Video ALOT
I know the area pretty good. I was told you should not go in the high school because the black mold was so bad it was dangerous. The elementary school back up the road is now Little Sparrow ministry. I helped build the deck on the back of the building, and put wood on the side steps. There is so much poverty in this area it's just sad. Houses that are unlivable with no running water, heat or windows and people still living in them. I have never seen living conditions like this in my life. They shut down the Walmart because the shop lifting was so bad. I was told by one individual that Iaeger used to thrive back in the 60's. I was told not to drink the water because it was not safe. The sewers dump directly into the river. I guess this is what happens when the coal tycoons raped the land, screwed the people over and then moved on. The same thing has happened in many other areas of our great nation. Greed is king.
😔
Mountain folks should know better than shoplifting.
Very nice not originally from Virginia but from NY state but lived in Newport news Virginia for 21 years now back in NY state. ENJOY THE VIDEO THANKS
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
I almost wish I could go back to places like this. I’m to old now.
Next time you are in southern WV, you may want to take a trip through Mullens, loop through Pineville, on into Oceana, and then finally Kopperston, the latter of which was one of the last coal camps build (1938) and was lauded as the 'Nation’s Model Coal Camp'
Great suggestion!
Iaeger is what would probably be considered my grandmothers home town. She was the daughter of a coal miner and born in a cabin a mile or two north of town. I know her father worked at a few different mines and they moved to Welch eventually before ultimately moving out of state because her mother was very sick and needed medical treatment, but I would assume she went to the school you showed for at least a couple of years before they moved.
My mother was born In Iaeger 1920.
New subscriber I love the music what a great adventure
Montgomery Ward was probably just an order and pick up office. Everyone loved their Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs.
They sure did!
Josh my son is a Rail Road Signal Man is Iager, he bumped a guy to take the Signal Maintainers position over around Rich Creek Virginia, he couldn’t wait to come back to Iager, didn’t care much for the folks down that way in Virginia, I’ll put MacDowell County people against any in the world, I called on McDowell County for 35 1/2 years,Love those people.
Sorry, but I'm a Yankee, but worked with a bunch of guys from WVA and KY and just really enjoy your series. I have 5 series I never miss and you're one of those five. Keep it rollin!!!
You're okay in my book, thanks for watching! 😉
My Grandfather, Rufus Church of War fought in that war. He was with the Coal Miners Union and the company had thrown him out of the home he was in, a 'company home' at 4 am in the morning. Grandpa was mad and he made it through that war just fine.
I still think these dead towns should recreate their town with Airbnbs plus maybe a ride in a mine (like Beckley, WV).
Hopefully recreational cannabis will be allowed. That would be a tourist attraction plus the taxes that the state and city/town receives is phenomenal.
They could take those funds to invigorate the area by creating all types of recreational areas, ie hiking, camping, and family areas- endless possibilities. If the town still exists and still have coal camp house then people could rent them to see how people lived.
❤️ from Cross Lanes, West Virginia.
It will certainly take some kind of creative efforts, thanks for watching!
I went through there last year while on a motorcycle trip,
I've been in them parts of West Virginia before
Love your videos. I am from Jolo WV and I went Ieager High School in the mid to late 80s.
My husband and I love your videos. Sad to see so many vacant buildings, but thats common in rural areas. How about Tazewell Co? Field unit on Rt 61. Downtown Tazewell? Loved driving home through Baptist Valley hearing the music from the front porches. God bless you and your family.
Thanks so much for that! And yes, Southwest Virginia is DEFINITELY in my plans!!
I'm also from Tazewell and lived in Baptist valley My husband's family lived in Dryfork. So many good memories
I sure would have loved to watch the testing of the John Henry!
Hi Josh, thank you again for another very interesting video on this place. I often imagine, while watching, what life was like for those who lived here. While probably not the easiest way to make a living, I cannot help but think that those people were of a tight community looking out for each other, not like today where most of my neighbors are strangers to me. I appreciate seeing all of your videos like this one. While I am not totally familiar with places to suggest for your next videos, I do enjoy riding along with you just the same. Also, great choice of background music. I really liked that as well! Thumbs up and subscribed. Thanks, again.
McDowell is still very much a tight knit community! There are some of the friendliest people here you will ever meet.
Very informative video and very well done. Are you allowed to enter into the old high school for love to see a walk through of some of those buildings. Thank you for your time on portraying these forgotten towns and their history.
I think you are doing a service that is greater perhaps than many realize at first blush. It's interesting, but you are chronicling pieces of American history, that at some point will be lost forever. It's living history.
Thank you for your insightful remarks, I think that's at the heart of what I'm doing. Appreciate you watching & sharing!
My hometown, Thanks for the video. Iaeger was a great place to grow up, time was definitely not kind to the area. I miss those hills and hollers.
Every town in the U S has its own history but for some reason I keep going to the Appalachian region and I'm a city boy from Chicago'
It's an intriguing region!