Fraternity-Testvériség, 1999 (77. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1999-10-01 / 3. szám
Page 10 TESTVÉRISÉG RESTORATION Continued from page 9 kind of work available.” He commented on the high quality of work involved in the Dante Project, and added that it’s almost too late for oral histories of early settlers and immigrants to be collected in some regions of the country. According to George Campbell, Scout member Shane Kenyon has already put in the time required for his Eagle project, but the group intends to complete the clearing of the cemetery and will then mow it. Some more Scouts, Campbell said, are in line to list the names and dates on all the headstones, a project that will probably begin after the first of the year. Campbell also hopes they will map the cemetery so that the site of each grave is identified in relationship to the others. All of that information will eventually be included on the Russell County Public Library’s database on the Internet so that genealogy researchers the world over will have access to it. Ann Gregory Clinch Valley Times, Vol. XLII, No. 32, August 12. 1999, Saint Paul Virginia (Reproduced with permission; edited for length) The Dante History Project The town of Dante, in Russell County, Virginia, developed from the little crossroads of Turkey Foot into a major coal center for the Clinchfield Coal Corporation at the beginning of the 20th century. Clinchfield closed the last Dante mine in 1959. Once a thriving, multi-cultural mining community of 3,800 people in 1930, today Dante is a quiet town of about 950 people. However, the memories of a vibrant past remain. The Dante History Project, organized by People, Inc. of Southwest Virginia, documents the struggles and successes of its citizens as coal mining fortunes cycled up and down during the first half of the century. Since 1997, residents and former residents of Dante and nearby communities have contributed their knowledge and artifacts to create an impressive collection of over 800 photographs and 44 taped interviews. The Dante History Project has created a display of over 125 of the photographs and excerpts from the oral histories. Text by scholar Dr. Jean Haskell Speer, Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University, links Dante to trends in the Appalachian coal fields. The exhibit Memories from Dante: The Life of a Coal Town is displayed on 22 panels quilted by the Dante Senior Citizens. The exhibit is touring the region to educate the public on the rich history of this community. In the year 2000, People, Inc. will publish a Dante history book featuring many more of the photographs and interviews from the collection. “ The coal from Dante fueled the Industrial Revolution in America. It produced the coal during World War H that smelted the steel that was forged into arms which were used to stop Hitler and win the war. We helped build this nation. We 're strong today because we know who we are and where we came from. "Virginia General Assembly Delegate Bud Phillips (Sixth-generation descendent of Turkey Foot settlers) “ From my research for the Dante History Project, it seems apparent that at one time the Hungarians were the largest ethnic group living in Dante, giving the town its unique multicultural heritage. They came here along with Italians, Poles and Greeks to build the coal town at the turn of the century and remained to work in the mines for the Clinchfield Coal Company. Many were members of the Verhovay Society, a forerunner of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. About half of the 50 or so people buried at Sun died during the flu epidemic years of 1918-1922." Kathy Shearer, Special Projects Coordinator, People, Inc. (Reproduced with permission) (Note: The Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association merged with the Rákóczi Aid Association and formed the William Penn Fraternal Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1955.) If anyone wishes to visit the graveyard, please call Kathy Shearer at 540-619-2271 to arrange for a visit. Also, for questions/information, contact Prof. August Molnár at 732- 846-5777 or e-mail: info@ahfoundation.org.
