Hello from Coal Country!

Recently,I've been facinated by the Urban Exploration sites all over the web.I can (and have) spent hours at a time checking out the work of tireless urban explorers,documenting what our society has simply abandoned.I'm amazed at not only what is out there,but the vast ammount of these places....hospitals,factorys,schools,homes....just sitting there.Some await renovation, some tied up in the legal web,most await the bulldozers blade or are left to simply rot away.

I realize this blog is far from original.The internet is full of these sites,but I intend to focus on my little corner of God's counrty.FAR from urban,I chose to fall into the rural catagory of exploration.Some believe that is far less to see in the rural setting,but I must disagree.There is plenty within my area,just begging to be documented.So....here we go!

Well...a little about me,I guess.I live in Greene County,PA.The southwestern most county,bordered on two sides by West Virgina.Anyone even remotley familiar with this area knows one thing for sure...this is coal country.Coal mines were the primary industry here,and their ghosts are everywhere..more on that in a bit.

I live in a "patch".A patch is a group of houses built by mining companies for the workers of that particular mine.Usually within walking distance from the mine,itslef,the patch is where life outside the mine was spent.Over the years,most of the patches survived long after the mine was closed.Genaration after geneation of famlies lived there,while come come and go.Some of the patches are large,depending on the size of the mines workforce at the time.Some,like where I live,are small loops or grids of similar homes.Think of a cul de sac,Appalacia style.

The reason I mention the patch and mining is that these will be a big part of what I cover.The ammount of abandoned mining areas around my home is unreal.Some tucked away in the woods while others sit roadside...quietly rusting away.I'll link to several awesome websites,if mining info interests you.Heck,I can walk outside now,and find someone to give a lesson on local mining history...but for now,lets focus on the forgotten stuff...after all,thats more fun..right?