The Passing of A Town
By James Birchfield
KEMPTON, MD.
Kempton will not become a ghost town, for when the last of the 119 families that once lived here have moved away, the houses, the Post Office and the store will be torn down, leaving nothing but an occasional rubble heap. And in a few years all the scars of man’s occupancy will be healed by the encroaching forests.
Kempton was a mining town. A coal mine, operated by the Davis Coal & Coke Co. of Baltimore, employed 265 men before it closed a few months ago. Although it is estimated that 40 years’ supply of coal remains, the company found the mining operation too costly to continue. The mine is more than 400 feet deep.
When it was closed, the houses occupied by the miners and their families were sold to a Pittsburgh real estate firm. As fast as miners move away, the buildings are torn down and hauled away. The families that remain—there are 22 as of this writing—pay $16 a month rent to the Pittsburgh firm.
Those who once lived in Kempton have scattered in many directions. Some have found homes and work in neighboring communities; others have been forced farther away. A few are standing by to see what developments may bring
There is William P. Bennett, 44. president of Local 4113 United Mine Workers. He and his wife own a mountain farm near Kempton, which makes them independent of the mine. “I lived here before there was a Kempton.” said Mrs. Bennett, “and I guess I can stay here without the town. I feel sorry for those who have no place to go.”
Bernard Broil, union secretary. is standing by. “It's not easy for a man approaching 50 to get a Job these days,” he explained.
Mrs. Mabel Bowers is the local postmistress. She said the Post Office will be discontinued and the families in the neighborhood will get their mail via a star route. She will move to Washington, where her husband has recently located.
“Kempton, although it won't be any more, always will be home to me, I suppose,” she said.
And then there are Mrs. Ella King, a widow, and her brother. Henry Gay, who haven't been able to find any place to move. They have lived in Kempton for more than 40 years. “For us.” She said, “there is not much future.”
Star Staff Photos