In the early 1920s baseball was becoming America's game, and the small towns of West Virginia were no exception. Little boys throughout the area dreamed of being the next Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig while playing with baseballs made from paper and . . . — — Map (db m186955) HM
Children in coal towns like Helen were sure to find many activities that kept them entertained throughout the year. Of course there was a theatre in town where the children watched the latest movie or serial. In the spring time, many could be found . . . — — Map (db m186958) HM
As the railroad began to push west through southern West Virginia, mining of the vast coal reserves brought new opportunities, growth, and in many instances, new towns. That was the case with Helen. Helen was established around 1919, and named after . . . — — Map (db m186953) HM
In the 1910s, the East Gulf Coal Company opened what came to be known as the Helen Mine and Coal Camp. Realizing their need to attract a more reliable and family-oriented workforce, the coal operators began constructing "model towns.” Here in the . . . — — Map (db m186950) HM
At the peak of the coal boom in the Winding Gulf region, thousands of miners worked in the four mines of the Eastern Associated Coal Company in Helen. These miners came from various races and nationalities, and their hard, often dangerous work . . . — — Map (db m186951) HM
