Lynch, Kentucky, nestled in a narrow valley along Looney Creek in southeastern Harlan County, was once the largest coal camp in the world. Founded in 1917 by US Coal and Coke, a subsidiary of US Steel, this three-mile long model town was designed to include everything for its residents, which comprised over 38 nationalities.
The Lynch Graded School System, formed in 1919, followed the segregated strictures of the non-coal mining world, with separate facilities for African American and white students. The Lynch Colored Public School, built in 1924, is located on the west or “Lower End” of Lynch.
The two other schools in Lynch, located on the opposite end of town, provide a sharp contrast to the Lynch Colored Public School – and in their decline, speak to the struggle of former company towns across the region to prosper economically and survive in the 21st century.
Lynch High School, constructed between 1922-1924, is built of that native stone, and the main entry, recessed behind square stone supports, features a still lovely arched window with green trim. Its companion to the immediate west appears to be losing the battle against nature, as a tree grows up through its main entryway on the facade.
In the mid-1950s, US Steel began to sell many houses to residents as it made plans to move coal production out of the area. And by 1962, the grand experiment of Lynch began to be dismantled by US Steel. Coal mining jobs declined, and county consolidation in 1981 closed the Lynch schools. The population of Harlan County as a whole began to shift at the same time – those under 35 started leaving – and didn’t come back.