In the American history, it is known that coal being among the pioneering energy sources was found in coal town which in many people’s conceptualization are dirty, pathetic, filthy collection of hovels claimed to be languishing in absolute paucity with the atmosphere of concentration camps. These poverty stricken ghettos are said to be in the hands of overbearing, heartless, manipulative extortionists known to be the coal operators. The coal mines workers are perceived and labeled as poor, dirty, without any opportunity, desire or ability to get themselves out this filthy languishing situation. They are said to rely upon coal operators and the company stores mercy to earn a living, are always in debts, miserable and down trodden.
According to Shifflett (1991), a professor of history in the college of liberal arts and human sciences in Virginia and the author of the book, ‘Coal Towns’ there were more than 500 known coal towns in a place known as Appalachia in 1925. The company camps building commenced with the rapidly growing coal industry after 1880 when the innovation of coal and the proceeding building of the necessary railways meant for transportation of the mined coal to the market contributed to the fastening of the industrial revolution in America. Affluent industrialists are said to have purchased tremendous pieces of land at throw away prices on which they constructed railway lines to enhance movement of their mined coal and hypothetically commenced the construction of camps for their workforce. 
At the outset primary aboriginal white Americans were the main inhibiters of these towns who faced a disastrous situation as the farmlands across Appalachia deteriorated spontaneously as inheritances continued to be subdivided among the huge populace who own family farms in Appalachia by the peak of 1880s. Small scale farming chiefly meant for subsistence no longer seemed dependable as an occupation which provided adequate and sound reasons for the poor whites to vacate the agriculturally miserable areas in the southern rural in search for greener pastures, that is, improved living conditions which they came along in the coal towns in the southern part of Appalachia (Shifflett,1991). 
In his ‘coal towns’ in Appalachia research, Shifflett outlines that the coal towns passed through several developmental stages namely, early pioneer years and paternalism years and the declining years. The main features of the early ground-breaking camps were impermanent housing with a small number of amenities. Single men were generally the pioneering laborers in a town and sometimes were the Negros and the immigrants who came in aid for the housing and the railway lines construction. Most mine workers stayed in shanty buildings with one of the residents in the Summer-lee coal community recalling how newspapers were used in the lining of the company’s houses insides just before 1920. There was no accessibility to autos for miners in the early years which resulted to company’s operators coming up with a company store to enable supply for the basic needs. With the company’s operations expansion, there was a critical need to increase the number of workers which led to family men be sought. This then led to provision of adequate housing facilities, learning institutions, worshipping centers as well as recreational facilities for comfort in the family life. 
Old Coal Mining town of Apallachia.
There was a gradual improvement of conditions in the towns compared to the pioneering years with the company constructing new, pretty plenty houses some of which even had plastered walls. A worker described life during the times and says that the laborer had nothing in their homes, were given just two or three iron beds, stools or powder kegs where they took their meals which was to be cooked using a small stove. According to the study there was introduction of union upon which better schools were introduced which preceded labor unrest, escalating demand for coal just before the World War one resulting to shortages of labor with miners moving from mine to mine all demanding for partial responsibility for better conditions in the pioneering mining camps.
Later the company operators came up with names for their towns with some being named for mistresses with the Mc Alpine town being given the maiden name of the operator’s mother. Scarbro and Carlisle were given English villagers names while Berwind was named after the New River and Pocahontas Consolidated Coke and Coal Company’ owner. Some towns were named after their place of location such as Slab folk and North Folk, or granted Indian names such as Matoaka and Pocahontas. In 1907 the mine was ripped apart by an explosion that carried with it eighty four men, an incident that contributed to the town being named as J. W. Herndon (Craigo, 1976).
References
Shifflett. C. (1991). Coal Towns, Life, Work and Culture in Company Towns of Southern
Appalachia, 1880-1960. University of Tennessee Press.
Craigo. R. (1976). The New River Company: Seventy Years of West Virginia Coal History.
Mt. Hope Press.