Haysi, VA (Bristol, Appalachia, Clintwood: crime, home, law school)

[prexec]

Is anyone from Haysi? I visited there during the summers while a teenager; my church youth group from Mississippi conducted Bible schools and church services in the area...would enjoy hearing from anybody who might remember us (we were called the "Set Free Singers") or from anybody who lives in the area and can tell me how things are today (my visits were in the mid-late 1970's.

[Gumby]

I have lived away from Haysi for several years now but I go home occasionally to visit with my relatives there.

I just happened on your post while looking for more information on Stanardsville as my next place to live and work. I've only past through there but It seems like a very nice place.

[Gladhatter]

I am from Clintwood and think I know Haysi pretty well. It is the appitamy of back woods slumb living. Due to the proximity of WV and KY I think it is arguably the worst place on earth.

The drug problems that was rampant in the 70's that Jerry Thacker and Pappy Jack Frazier ran then are worse now as the local doctors do the supplying and its primarily the benzo's and the Opiate based pain killers.

It is also rampaged by what some may call religious fanatisism but then that comes in all brands and all places and usually only applies when it is convenient.

Its a filthy little place that once was owned and run by Rural Fuller and Judge Phillps and Jim O'quin.

Being part of Dickenson county it is part and parcel of the small town and political corruption as well.

I cannot imagine a worse place in the world geographically as it is a river between mountains and has to flood on every big rain.

Its like east Ky just accross the mountain with the mentaility being about the same of thinking yards are for junk cars to rest on and the once beautiful stream are for garbage and sewer dumps.

So I am not sure what you found attractive about the place back then, It it was Rurals coal temple that he and Judge run slave labor in during the 70's or if it was Jim Oquins flood cars on his car lot or if it was Judges likker store to make sure the drunks was all supplied with plenty to flush down the qualudes that the doctors in the adjoining towns offered so freely back then.

Haysi ? About the worst place in the USA !

Charlie

[SCBeaches]

I have family in Haysi, Clintwood, Clinchco (sp?), Grundy, and other small towns in the area. Do you know any of the Turners or Viers? I live in SC but all of my family on my dad's side live in those parts - he lives in Bristol.

As [b]Haysi Resident[b] said, they are all just average, small coal-mining towns, nothing fancy but definitely not "backwoods slum living" either. Small towns all have their positive and negative sides - I grew up in one - and sometimes you have to be a native from there to truly appreciate all their little quirks. I personally love small towns!

[Trevor92]

I'm originally from the county south of Dickenson County and know many people that live there and in Haysi and Clintwood. I would agree that Gladhatter's comments are way out of touch with reality. But I myself, am too young to remember a singing group in the time frame you mentioned. I don't know any Turners in Dickenson county but I've heard of several Viers. It seems like about a quarter the people there that I know have the last name, Mullins, Fleming, or Bolling.
To me, it was just another rural, backwoods place with small schools and not a lot to do. But there also weren't a lot of the problems I see in the bigger cities. There, you could safely walk down any road at any time of the night and it seemed like the most common crime was a teenager that I knew that stole about 25 Stop signs. It seems as if it just never recovered from the fallout of the coal boom in the area. But it is starting to recover economically now with the addition of the Appalachian School of Law as well as the Pharmacy school in Grundy, the new museum in Clintwood, and the anticipated Coalfield Expressway as a new highway coming to the area.

[Haysi Resident]

Originally Posted by SCBeaches

I have family in Haysi, Clintwood, Clinchco (sp?), Grundy, and other small towns in the area. Do you know any of the Turners or Viers? I live in SC but all of my family on my dad's side live in those parts - he lives in Bristol.

As [b]Haysi Resident[b] said, they are all just average, small coal-mining towns, nothing fancy but definitely not "backwoods slum living" either. Small towns all have their positive and negative sides - I grew up in one - and sometimes you have to be a native from there to truly appreciate all their little quirks. I personally love small towns!

Yes, I know some Turners and Viers, but as far as I know I'm not related to either one.

I guess I got a little too defensive in my original post, but he started it.

[Miss Blue]

From reading through this thread, I see that the good people of SW Virginia face the very same stereotyping as we do here in Eastern Ky..It hurts...

[Gladhatter]

Sorry that you misunderstood hard facts and blatent truths as sterotyping. There is a big difference.

All I had to say was just fact without judgement.

The follow ups on this are just not true.

The law school has had one murder at it already, there have been a few murders in the surrounding area's as well make that more than a few and as for safety, Darron Mullins was cut from head to toe then dragged inside for his kids to find him dead the school morning following recently. As for the meusem, that is a crock and Donald Baker is not going to allow it to become anything of importance as Ralph is a self absorbed and greedy man himself and also only allowed his name attached for personal profits. Even selling one of his instuments to the place with no donations.

About the coalfield express, that to is a political sham. Mike Quillen was given the powder base contract on it by BRK and immediatly done as we all knew he would which was move it to the opposite and harder to build side or the mountain where Alpha can harvest the coal and leave in a powder base road and thus no reclaiming and huge grants and payoffs to help them harvest virgin coal in places up to 5 seams deep.

Yep its all a fine place and I would not live anywhere else but may as well tell it like it is and not like we wish it was.

[Haysi lifelong resident]

GladhatterYour comments are JUST Not true!

[Haysi lifelong resident]

I think Haysi is a Nice Place!