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Bloody Harlan

Sylvia Mae Burnette

1928 Black Star Flood Photos

In 1928, Black Star (Alva, KY) suffered a great flood.  These are photos of the aftermath, made by Roy Fraim.  He was the store manager at the time and was the Father of Sylvia Mae Fraim Burnette and the Grandfather of Melvin Clay Burnette.  It is not known if any lives were lost, but many homes and company buildings were lost.    At the time, most all the camp dwellings were above the tipple and in School House Holler.  The two story structures were built in such a way as to provide for multiple families or one family with boarders.  A dwelling served as the company store and one served as the school.  The school term was June to December, as the winter and spring months brought lots of rain, making deep mud that was dangerous and most impossible for children to trudge.  There was no paved roads there at the time.  Puckett's Creek had been re-routed in the early twenties to allow easier construction of the railroads.  Many folks thought that "messing with Mother Nature" accounted for the massive damage.


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