Photos of Stover Cemetery on Kayford Mountain
July 23, 2007

Photos by Vivian Stockman; Flyover courtesy SouthWings

For permission to use photos (non-profit groups, school, students, low-income organization)
or to purchase one-time photo-use rights (for-profit groups) contact vivian@ohvec.org.
Original digital images are available on request.

For reference, here is Stover Cemetery, a green island within the Catenary Coal Company's destruction of Kayford Mountain. The cemetery is the left-most of the two forested humps you see in the center of the shot. This shot was taken from the ground on July 17, 2007.

The day after OVEC took the ground shot, a cameraman flew over Stover--and said to himself--that can't be Stover, there are bulldozer tracks! But indeed, dozers had moved into the area--and blasting equipment too.  But it was at least close to Stover. The coal company maintains it is following the law, and thus conducting no mining activity within 100 feet of the graves. As of 7-23, the WV Department of Environmental Protection was in concurrence with the coal company. DEP also promised citizens could get on site for an inspection. People who have relatives buried here contend that the cemetery boundaries are not well marked and believe graves may have been destroyed. In this photo, all the light tan material at left is freshly-destroyed area. Compare this shot with the green in the shot above. Just six days later--the right-most forested hump is gone!

Somewhere in the trees at mid-photo left, above the tan area, is what's left of Stover Cemetery.

See those white dots in the center--that's where blasting charges have been set! So much for resting in peace....   Click here for high resolution image

Hey kids, check out the "reclaimed" areas on Kayford Mountain. Hmmm...looks likes "reclaimed" areas are indeed biological deserts and buried streams compared to our rich forests and headwaters streams that used to be there. Maybe the coal company realizes the dead can't rest in peace in such a place...so why leave their final resting place alone?

At center left, the trees on the edge of the property where Stover Cemetery lies cast a long shadow into the "reclaimed" area.  Click here for high resolution image

At right, above the thin line of trees, on the band of tan-colored freshly-annihilated earth, look closely and you can see a rig used to drill blasting holes.   Click here for high resolution image

Behind what is left of Stover Cemetery, more of the active destruction of Kayford Mountain. Mother Jones' words come to mind--Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!