Harlan County Gracie Bargo    © Copyright 2002 by Gracie Bargo

A coal car in Harlan County at Wikimedia Commons.

           As a child growing up in Harlan times were rough, worrying about what other kids thought of you because of your cloths that you whore, walking down that long hall way in school you could feel eyes all over you hearing people talk about you and laughing at you. But in my mind the words came back to many so many times that my grandmother use to tell us kids no matter who you are or what you are they are no one that is better than you and these words kelp me going on threw life, so I would hold my head up high and paid know attention to these words. 

        Living in Harlan County has really showed me what life is about, sure jobs were short growing up here but it made us respect things more and showed us how to love and share and be kind to people. We had gardens in the summer and worked in them and what fun that was, picking the green beans off there lines, putting them in baskets taking them to momma and knowing that she would have the best supper ever that night that’s really what we kelp in our minds, and when it came time to shuck the corn we really enjoyed that. 

     Seemed like everyone enjoyed life so much better then, people handing a hand helping you in so many ways, parents didn’t have to worry about letting there children go out side and play, Because they knew everyone you didn’t hear about people trying to pick your kids up and taking them off if anything they watched your kids.

     Sure a lot people say what do you see in Harlan there’s nothing there but they really are we have love and we know what hard times are really about and that has taught me to be a better person to respect and to work for what I get. 

     I remember growing up here and yes I wished so much as a child of waiting to get out of here and couldn’t wait tell I was out of school and just pack my things up and get out of here, I’m  twenty three know and wouldn’t trade my life for nothing and still today there’s not much here in Harlan, the only thing really to do here is to work in the coal mines, unless you do have a degree of some sort, which know the coal mines is not booming that much at this time we still find ways of making a living here. 

     I know a lot of people think that Harlan is a poor county but its not we have morels and values and people help one another and we pull together know matter what happens, sure we all get aggravated at times but we have learnt to go on and live life for today and not worry about tomorrow live today as its your last day because we are not promised tomorrow. 

      Church was one of the most important things to do here on Sunday mornings as growing up if we didn’t go then rest of the week we had to stay home and help which we all had chores to do but, like on Fridays nights if we didn’t go to church on Sunday morning then moves was out of the question and we knew not to ask to go, I raised in church and today I have my own child and he is in church also every Sunday morning, I also teach him the morels that I was raised with . 

    I am a better person today because of Harlan and I thank god I live here it has taught me to be a better person I am out going and loves to meet knew people I am learning more things everyday as life goes bye.

  The mountains here are also one of the most beautiful places that we have the pleasure of getting to walk in the hills are as pleasuring as can get it’s a pleasure to me just to straw threw the valleys here, when times get hard and seems like the day can’t go on I take a walk and just admiring the trees and the beauty that god has gave to us all in Harlan, the wonderful thing about it all is Harlan is surrounded by mountains and it’s a refresh to me to know that we have what we got here and to know that farmers lived here and still does. And that at one time wagons roamed the land that we know drive cars on.

     I look back know at all the times I said I was leaving from here and laugh they are know way that I would leave my home that I had so much fun in as growing up here so many memories that I keep in my mind of when I was a child and a place in my heart that I can call home that I would never think twice of leaving behind, and all those laughs that I heard behind my back in school I thank those people know because for them it has brought the good out in me, know matter how many tears I left school crying back then everyone of those are like in a jar and can never be released because if I let go of them I let go of what I am.
   

Gracie's Story List and Biography

Book Case

Home Page

The Preservation Foundation, Inc., A Nonprofit Book Publisher