A group poses for the camera, about 1930, while sitting on a car in front of a row of identical wood frame houses with fences. 

Most coal mining towns in other bituminous producing states, such as West Virginia, and Kentucky, were similar in appearance to each other. Rows of identical looking houses, such as these, were built as quickly and cheaply as possible and dotted the landscape. Outhouses and coal sheds were usually located in the backyards. One of the largest nonmining structures was the company store, usually located in the central area of the town. Other nonmining town structures that were often found in or near company towns were the doctor's office, school, baseball diamond, union hall, church, and perhaps a few privately owned businesses. 



Photo: courtesy Helen Piscevich Morgan collection.