"Almost one hundred years ago, the company commissary was the bustling center of life in the Benham coal camp. Clerks measured fabric for homemakers, weighed sacks of sugar and coffee, and even sold caskets to grieving families. Friends met to chat, old men played checkers, and neighbors shared the latest gossip. The primary folding money taken here was scrip, credit against the wages of the miners," the Kentucky Coal Museum says.

"Today, the renovated Benham Commissary is the Kentucky Coal Museum dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the artifacts and experiences that tell the story of coal mining in eastern Kentucky. The idea for a coal museum first developed during the 1970s but did not see action until 1990 when the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce purchased the Commissary. Several grants allowed for the overhaul of the property, and by 1993, a Board of Directors was installed and a Curator was hired.

"Coal mining is indelibly woven into the fabric of daily life in the mountains of southeast Kentucky. It is hard to imagine a time when this was not so. As recently as 80 years ago, however, the vast coal resources of this region lay largely undisturbed beneath the rugged mountains. The land was sparsely populated by farmers who used the mountain streams, the forests, and what tillable land was available to feed and clothe their families. This way of life was drastically changed in the early years of this century. At this time the large coal companies moved in to exploit the rich mineral deposits found beneath the mountains of Harlan County."

"Historical Marker #1803 in Harlan County commemorates Lynch, the largest company-owned town in Kentucky through World War II. Lynch was established by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company, a subsidiary of the United States Steel Company, in 1917. The town was finally completed in 1925. Named for the “Father of Mine Safety,” Pennsylvanian Thomas Lynch, the town was home to about ten thousand people at its peak," the Explore KY History says.

"Lynch was considered one of the model coal camps in Appalachia because of its quality health care, education, housing, social services, wages, benefits, and recreation. The more than one thousand buildings in Lynch provided housing for the multitude of nationalities that flocked to Harlan County to work at the coal camp. The remaining buildings included a commissary, post office, theater, hotel, hospital, churches, and schools. By the height of World War II, the mining complex employed more than four thousand people.

"The majority of the more than ten thousand tons of coal produced daily was shipped to steel mills near Chicago, providing a steady market for Lynch’s main product. Having the largest capacity coal tipple in the world, and being the first fully-electrified coal mine in the nation, Lynch set the world record for coal production during a single nine-hour shift in 1923 at 12,820 tons."

"In 1917 the U.S. Coal & Coke Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, built the community of Lynch, Kentucky, then the world's largest coal camp. The coal camp was built on part of the 19,000 acres the company had purchased in the southeastern tip of Harlan County, near the Virginia border. The camp's population peaked at about 10,000 persons but the reported figures vary because of the transient nature of the miners and their families at that time. One thousand company owned structures provided housing for people of 38 nationalities, the most prominent of which were Italian, Spanish, Czech, Polish, English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish. By the 1940s this mining complex employed more than 4000 persons above and below ground," the Portal31.com says.

"The public buildings were constructed of cut sandstone, and included a company commissary, post office, theater, hotel, hospital, churches, and schools. Many company buildings were built of stone as well, such as the offices, bath house, power plant and  house. In the 1920s U.S. Coal & Coke owned the world's largest coal tipple with a capacity of 15,000 tons. On February 12, 1923 the world's record for coal production in a single 9 hour shift was achieved when miners operating 40 shortwall cutting machines produced 12,820 tons of coal, filling 256 railcars.

"All the coal produced at Lynch by U.S. Coal & Coke Co. was "captive coal", meaning it was all produced by U.S. Coal & Coke Co. for U.S. Steel consumption, and was produced from drift mines. All coal was shipped from Lynch to U.S. Steel plants via the L&N (Louisville & Nashville) Railroad. Coal was mined from the 56" Elkhorn C Seam, 56" Keokee Seam, 50" Kelioka Seam at the company's No. 30 and No.31 Mines at Lynch. U.S. Coal & Coke also mined coal at Gary, Thorpe, Elbert, and Filbert, West Virginia. Today many of the company's buildings, including a tipple, and a mine portal are part of a coal mining museum complex at Lynch."

"Lynch, Kentucky, is a model company town founded in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company, a subsidiary of the U.S. Steel Corporation. At the time of its construction, it was the largest coal camp in the world. In 1923, Lynch set a world record by preparing and shipping 12,880 tons of coal in a single shift, an accomplishment credited to Lynch’s advanced development in mine-plant layout, which was described in contemporary articles in coal mining and engineering journals," the SAH Archipedia says.

"The company town attracted a diverse workforce. In 1926, Lynch was characterized as the “new melting pot.” In addition to local mountaineers, the town was also home to a number of African Americans from the South, as well as immigrants from Germany, Hungry, Austria, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Italy, Russian and a number of other countries. By the 1940s, the mining complex employed more than 4,000 workers.

"The U.S. Coal and Coke Company retained ownership of Lynch until 1963, when the city was incorporated. The company sold many of the houses to their occupants. While the company removed several sections of housing at that time, many of the houses, mining support structures, and commercial, cultural, and service buildings have survived. These include the Louisville and Nashville train depot, a mine portal, tipple, bathhouse, a segregated school for African Americans, and the company store."

"It was the 'Cadillac' of coal mining towns in its heyday. Unlike other coal mining towns at the time, Lynch, Kentucky had beautiful public buildings, paved streets, a sewage system – a rarity for the time – plenty of recreation and some of the best health care in Southeast Kentucky," the Daily Mail says.

"Built by US Steel from 1917 to 1925 to supply coal demand, Lynch became the world’s largest company-owned coal town by the 1940s. The town was diverse, with 10,000 residents from at least 38 countries, because US Steel recruited immigrants from Ellis Island.

"Though coal died out in Lynch, it remains one of the most intact company coal towns in Kentucky. As it turns 100 this year, its well-preserved history may be its best chance for survival."

"Lynch was plotted in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company (a subsidiary of U.S. Steel) as a company town to house workers at the company's nearby coal mines. It was named for then-head of the company, Thomas Lynch.

"By the 1940s, Lynch had a population of 10,000 and had such amenities as a hospital and movie theater. The population declined dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s as mining techniques shifted to less labor-intensive methods. In 1996, the rails to Lynch and nearby Benham were officially abandoned.

"In 2012, PBS of Eastern Tennessee created a documentary titled The Eastern Kentucky Social Club dealing with the history of the black community and immigrant community in Lynch."  (Wikipedia)

"Lynch is a Harlan county town on Looney Creek at the foot of Black Mountain about 27 miles northeast of Harlan. It was built by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company, part of United States Steel, in 1917 and named for Thomas Lynch, the company's first president," the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer says.

"The population peaked around 10,000 in the 1940s and was the largest coal camp in the world. The town was sold to the residents in the 1950s. Lynch was incorporated in 1963.

"The Lynch Mines post office opened in 1918 and was renamed Lynch in 1922. The population in 2010 was 747."

"Built 100 years ago, the towns of Lynch and Benham are living examples of an important era. At their height in the 1940s, the communities were home to more than 10,000 people representing more than three dozen different nationalities. By the end of World War II, Lynch was the largest coal camp in the world!" the Kentuckians For The Commonwealth says.

"Residents were determined to preserve our history and heritage, and not let our towns die. With the help of many people working together, we've made a lot of progress. Today, thousands of visitors come to our Coal Mine Museum in the old Benham Commissary.

"Many stay in the School House Inn, housed in Benham’s old “white” school and visit with the good people at the Eastern Kentucky Social Club, located in Lynch in the old “black” school. Portal 31 is a state-of-the-art underground coal mine exhibit. And everyone can enjoy beautiful views of big Black Mountain, Kentucky’s highest peak."