More precious than a
work day at
Briceville Church
10 October 2015
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We were
THRILLED with the turn out of students!!
Even four of our Coal Creek Scholars who are now in their
first year of college joined us on this rainy October morning!
They continue to be an inspiration to others and make us proud!
Dream Team of Volunteer Coal Creek Scholars!!
These great students got out of bed on a rainy
Saturday morning to contribute to the Coal Creek community!
Thunderstorms and power outages did not stop 17 Coal Creek Scholars and five other community volunteers from spending this damp Saturday morning preparing Briceville Church and Cemetery for pending school field trips. Some volunteers started out cleaning inside the church, while others cut brush on the bank that flanks the church or removed litter from the cemetery. Everyone ended up working on clearing the overgrown bank.
Briceville Church and Cemetery play an important role in the Coal Creek Labor Saga, which is now part of the education curriculum for 5th, 8th, and 11th graders in the state. Built in 1888 by Welsh miners, Briceville Community Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery contains headstones of 20 of the Cross Mountain miners who died on 9 December 1911, along with headstones of two miners who died in the 1902 Fraterville Mine disaster. It was used as a temporary jail for miners captured by the Tennessee National Guard during the Coal Creek War and it hosted memorial services for families of miners who died in the mining disasters.
A view of Briceville Church at almost the end of our
work to clear the mightily overgrown, steep bank.
The beautiful church shows up much better now!
The work day started off like most with Scholars being subdued, but it didn’t take long before a constant exchange of banter began. Some conversations were between small groups, while others involved all volunteers. Some stories were about past field trips students took to historic sites in the watershed when they were at Briceville School. Others involved present situations, while many dealt with plans and dreams for the future.
The ladies spiffed up the interior of the church and then
joined the guys to help clear the overgrown bank.
The event reminded us of advice offered by a Coal Creek Scholar at a past Scholars Day event at Briceville School: “Go as far as an education will take you, but never forget where you came from.”
Nathan Cox sure helped us along with his
Dad's gas-powered trimmer!
Climbing up this steep, wet, briar-thicket bank was
much harder than this photo shows!
A few of them strong men!
4th grader Nehemiah Harmon is getting a
headstart
on his community service required for
receiving a Coal Creek Watershed Foundation
Scholarship when he's a senior in high school!
Carol Moore and a
few of the young women scholars,
including Emily and Kim Phillips who were awarded $10,000
scholarships in 2015 and continue their community service.
Volunteers:
Annalee Brock
Zach Brock
Nathan Cox
Benny Foster
Sean Foster
Joshalyn Harmon
Kimberly Harmon
Nehemiah Harmon
Jeffery Housley
Jessica Housley
Paul Long
Carol Moore
Riley Mozingo
Skylar Mozingo
Tomeka Mozingo
Emily Phillips
Kimberly Phillips
Tallen Roldan
Barry Thacker
Chad Whitaker
Isaiah Wilson
Ethan Windham
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