Tom and Curley ready to go for a sled load of coal. I could walk up to Curley, put the yoke on him then call for white faced Tom. He would walk up and put his head under the yoke without any effort from me.

Submitted by Roscoe K. Plumley.
Raleigh County, West Virginia.
Picture and text reprinted with permission from “Memories of Richmond District” by Roscoe K. Plumley.

PICTORIAL HISTORY OF APPALACHIAN AGRICULTURE

Much of the agricultural history of the Appalachian region can be found in photographs.  A new web page devoted to archiving and making available to the public such images is being developed by the Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, located in Raleigh County on Airport Road in Beaver, WV.  Pictures and/or information about farm activities, gardening, and fruit cultivation are being sought for the web-page.

Placing photographs on the world wide web will allow the culture and history of Appalachian agriculture to be shared with others. The plan is being spear-headed by Dale Ritchey and Douglas Boyer. Individuals are invited to send scanned copies of photographs to the Center, along with a paragraph of information about who is in the picture and what they are doing.  Photographs can be mailed to Dale Ritchey at 1224 Airport Road, Beaver, WV  25813, or sent by e-mail to Doug.Boyer@ars.usda.gov.