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While DellaMea is drawn to coal camps, he wouldn’t particularly have liked to live in one.

“If I could get in a time machine and visit, that would be great,” he said. “But these towns were built for the convenience of the coal mines, not for the coal miners and their families. I wouldn’t want to live between a railroad track and a row of coke ovens, or in a house that didn’t have indoor plumbing.”

He enjoys hearing from former coal camp residents who visit his Web site and pass along additional information about their communities.

“I learn a lot from them,” he said. “Many of them have moved out of the state. What’s really great is to be able to put them in contact with other people from their town who have also moved away.”

By sharing his words and images of coal camps, “I hope I’m doing something that will bring a degree of pleasure to the people who lived in these towns.”

He’s toying with the idea of producing a coal camp calendar or coffee table book, but he’s not sure how much longer he’ll pursue his coal camp quest.

“I’ve only got about 20 coal camps left in West Virginia that I haven’t seen,” he said.

“I don’t know how long I’ll keep going at it after I document them. I wish I could have started doing this 20 years earlier. We’ve lost so many camps. I feel like I’m getting the last little bit.”

To contact staff writer Rick Steelhammer, use e-mail or call 348-5169.

On the Web

Chris DellaMea posts his photos, along with maps, historical excerpts and other tidbits of information on his Web site, www.coalcampusa.com.

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