Laborn and Mariah Phillips and their family settled the little farming community of Turkey Foot on Lick Creek in Russell County, Virginia, in the late 1800s, and their descendants still populate the area today. The tiny rural crossroads disappeared when the coal developers created the company town of Dante here in 1903 to house laborers and managers as they began to mine the abundant coal resources in this area. The Clinchfield Coal Corporation took over in 1906, opening several mines and establishing its headquarters in Dante in 1912. The town grew into a bustling multi-cultural community of some 4,000 people.
    During the latter part of the 20^th century, Dante experienced a sharp economic downturn tied to the fortunes of the coal industry. The mines have been closed since 1959, and the schools are gone, as are the commissary, the hospital, the theater, and other businesses. Only the post office remains open downtown. However, about 800 people still live in Dante and neighboring West Dante, and many more who had to move away to find work will always consider this tight-knit community their home. 

    In 1997, People Incorporated Communications Coordinator, Kathy Shearer, and residents of Dante began collecting oral histories and copying old photographs and documents in order to preserve the history and memories of the people. The Dante History Project resulted in a 22 panel exhibit, "Memories from Dante: The Life of a Coal Town." The display combines over 120 old photographs and excerpts from the oral histories to tell Dante's stories during the first half of the 20th Century. Text by Dr. Jean Haskell, Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University at the time, links Dante's stories to trends in Appalachia during this era. 
    The exhibit, which is mounted on small quilts made by the Dante Senior Center members, traveled throughout the region for twenty months during 1999 and 2000, telling Dante's stories to over 1,000 visitors while on display in galleries, libraries, and colleges.  The exhibit is now installed in the Dante Coal Mining and Railroad Museum and can be viewed by appointment. Call 276-495-1903.
    Funds for this exhibit came from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the United Mine Workers of America, the Pittston Corporation, and 49 local donors. The audiotapes are stored at the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.
    Building on the success of the exhibit, Kathy Shearer drew from the collected resources and wrote a book on the history of Dante. Over 200 people contributed stories, pictures, and documents to make this 525 page volume a real treasure. On October 20, 2001, the long-awaited volume made its debut at a wonderful celebration at the Dante Fire Hall. For more information on the book Memories From Dante: The Life of a Coal Town, contact the museum at 276-495-1903 .

Pictures above: Top: Laborn Phillips & dog; Right: Lower Bearwallow, 1918; Bottom: Seniors working on the Dante History quilts, clockwise from left: Lottie Poston, Hazel Ball, and Gladys Carter

DANTE HISTORY PROJECT RECORDS

c. 1890-1998 and undated
Kathy Shearer, Project Coordinator for the Dante History Project, donated the Dante History Project Records to the Archives of Appalachia on April 21, 1999.  On July 30, 1999 she donated copy negatives of photographs collected during the project. The papers are open for research. Annie Webb, Glen Yelton, and Norma Myers processed the collection and the records were opened for research in February 2002.

East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia

Box 70295

Johnson City, TN 37614

E-mail: archives@mail.etsu.edu

Telephone: (423) 439-4338