When I began my battle against mountaintop removal coal mining, the motivation was not environmental. It had nothing to do with mayflies, streams, or valley fills. As a matter of fact I was completely ignorant of the environmental impacts until after my battle had already begun.
My problem with mountaintop removal coal mining was and still is the devastating effects the practice has on our mountains and the rural communities that reside within the hollows between the mountains.
Today I had the opportunity to visit Lindytown, WV. Lindytown is located in Boone County just a few miles from Twilight and just across the mountain from where I live now. It is an excellent example of why I get so frustrated when I hear about the supposed good things MTR does for West Virginians.
Welcome to Lindytown, West Virginia.
In the next photo the mountain behind the church has been clearcut and prepped for mountaintop removal.
The following photo is a boarded residence located beside of a very old cemetery within the Lindytown community or ghost town would be a better description now.
The next couple photos show the reason why the folks who once resided in Lindytown were forced to move. Massey Energy has moved in and they are here to take the mountains.
This is just a mile or two up the road from the ghost town that was once Lindytown and will eventually, sooner rather than later, occupy the mountain in the photo behind the church.
Some folks call it progress, others call it a necessity for the economy, and still others say it makes West Virginia better. I wonder what the good folks of Lindytown would call it? I wonder what the folks buried in the old cemetery would call it were they able to see it? This much I know, prosperity or eternal peace are not to be found in Lindytown, West Virginia.
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Recent articles about Lindytown in the Coal Valley News.
Lindytown to be bulldozed down after Massey buys out residents for MTR
“The[y] bought the entire town of Lindytown out,” says one disgruntled resident, “And though I don’t have anything against mountain top mining, I think it’s terrible that Massey won’t allow families to go back in to get all of their belongings after they promised the families that they could. They said they were interested in the land only, and that if we could move our houses on our backs, we could take anything we wanted. Now, they’re telling us we can’t get our stuff out, and they’re calling the law on us when we do go to get our things out.”
Mountaintop Removal Mining encroaches on rural communities
The increase in mountaintop removal has impacted southern West Virginia not only environmentally, but socially and culturally as well.
Lindytown is a prime example of one Appalachian community that has experienced this ever-encroaching presence of mountaintop mining.
As the Coal Valley News reported last week, a drive through Lindytown looks more like a wild west ghost town than the once rugged and rural Appalachian community that dwelled in the narrow holler.
Continual blasting to the area prompted several area residents to verbalize their complaints – and this newspaper ran their stories of frustration.
Today, those same residents have relocated their homes, opting for a payout from Massey Coal, opting for relief from the constant blasting and dust that had become a part of their daily routine.
This is the heartbreaking reality of MTR. Thank you, Denny, for documenting this travesty and the demise of Lindytown.
wow, an entire town. sickening
Thank you very much for the photos- it is heart breaking and reminds me of the many other towns and communities that Massey and other greedy coal companies have wiped out. In my community- after Massey bought half the town out- the “bought out” houses caught fire in the middle of the night.
The rest of us were very afraid. That is another reason we are fighting back.
I too never knew about the “indicator” – species like mayflies- I only knew strip mining was wrong but now I know a lot more. Now I am a true environmentalist.
Denny
Thank you for going to Lindytown and bringing the pictures back for all the world to see. There’s only one thing to say: Evil, just pure EVIL!
I just want to cry, this is so wrong, I really would love to be there for John Kennedy Jr & Don Blankenship discussion next year…how does he sleep at night. Thanks for sharing this…..
As a native West Virginian now living in Kentucky, I was very impressed, and distressed, by your articles on Lindytown.
You know Denny, I’ve been seeing all kinds of Massey commercials on T.V. recently, about how Massey gives, and how they live here too, wonder how many Massey workers live in Lindytown, and it is obvious, that Massey, rather than gives, most often takes. They take our mountains, they take our homes, they take our water, hell, they even take our cemeteries. What do we have left that they can take. I sure there is a lot more that they take, than I have mentioned. Heart breaking post!
Never give an inch. IMPEACH BLANKENSHIP!
yeah i used to live there in the yellow house in the first pic
Maybe everyone here should realize that the town approached Massey and asked them to be bought out. Massey Energy paid double the amount of each property value and covered the moving expenses. However, the town had a meeting and they were tired of the over sized vehicles that would pass by the homes on a regular basis. There are a few people who decided to stay because the Surface Mines cause zero problem to the rest of the community. Massey basically paid for other underground mines and the traffic they caused.
This is hack reporting at it’s finest and I am too against MTR.
William – Massey’s own statement about Lindytown contradicts everything you said. I can hardly see traffic as an issue in Lindytown for the simple fact it is located off the main thoroughfare. For you to say the mountaintop removal site over Lindytown causes zero problems for the residents shows me your ignorance on the subject. I would suggest you go over there and talk to those that remain and ask them what their fears are.
As far as hack reporting… I’m not a reporter. Most reporters in West Virginia are friends of coal, you’ll not find that here.
You’re against MTR? I seriously doubt that otherwise you would just know better. These surface mines as you call them cause problems for every community they encroach on. Someone truly against MTR would know that because it is one of the main reasons we fight. If you are against MTR then you need to educate yourself on the issues.
I would suggest if you want to be a mouth piece for the coal industry… find another site to visit from now on.