A marvelous group of historical photographs, which document the history and way of life in numerous coal camps. Back when “Coal was King,” new towns sprang up, and fortunes were earned almost overnight. Almost as quickly, many of the mines closed down and the towns either disappeared without a trace or became ghost towns. In Coal Towns, Stevenson preserves the memory of an era that no longer exists, but which indelibly shaped the state of West Virginia. Travel with Stevenson to the original sites of forty-seven West Virginia coal towns, many of which are now not even a name on a map. Stevenson’s book lets you visit the booming coal town of McAlpin, which if visited today would yield few, if any, visible remains. Coal Towns depicts towns such as Stotesbury and Slab Fork, which seventy years ago were small but vibrant communities, but today contain only a few residential buildings. These historical photographs let people re-visit their own, their parents’, and their grandparents’ childhoods, showing children how and where Grandpa worked, and remembering hometown ball games and silent movie shows. It has been my good fortune that I came into the possession of hundreds of photographs depicting West Virginia during the coal boom. Many of the photographs in this book date from the late teens and early twenties of this century. Others date from as late as the 1960’s. My main goal in writing these three books is to preserve history, and demonstrate a way of mining coal that is almost forgotten. I believe that passing stories down in both oral and written form is a critical way to preserve and understand our heritage. As I grow older, my heritage and memories become more and more meaningful. I think this is true for many West Virginians. This book is a pictorial history of a way of life that no longer exists.