Barren Fork Cemetery Walk

By: Eugenia Jones

The McCreary County Public Library and McCreary County Historical/Genealogical Society recently presented their second annual cemetery walk.  This year’s walk took place at the Barren Fork Cemetery adjacent to the former site of the Barren Fork Coal Camp.

In the late 1880s and early 1900s, the Barren Fork coal camp was a small town legacy.  Mining began there in the early 1880s, and in the l920s, the Barren Fork Coal Camp bustled with life and activity.  The community cemetery shows burials began as early as 1889 with a Maggie Kelly.  The cemetery was established at least twenty-five years before McCreary County was formed.

The Barren Fork Cemetery Walk was well attended by members of the public who listened to volunteer historical interpreters present the histories of interesting people buried at selected sites in the cemetery.  Included in the cemetery are the graves of two Civil War Veterans, several men who died in coal mining accidents, and approximately 145 unmarked graves.

Individuals presenting historical information during the walk were:  Kay Morrow, Randy Boedy, Tara Chaney, Jimmy Waters, Conley Chaney, Peggy Wilson, Karen Hughes, Hap Strunk, Larry Monday, Florence King, Michele Wilson-Jones, and Sam Perry.

A book containing the histories shared during the Barren Fork Cemetery Walk will soon be available.