View of the Barracks

Single men or married men not accompanied by their families, frequently found housing as boarders in town. Usually, but not always, they boarded with families from their home country. In addition, the Coal Company built a barracks, which functioned as rental apartments for these workers. As can be seen in the center of this photo, the barracks consisted of one long building, separated by common walls, with four rooms in each section. As the single men married or moved out, single accommodations gave way to families who rented the apartments from the Coal Company. 

Photo: courtesy Ed Swan collection.