St. Charles is a small, incorporated, rural coal mining community of approximately 370 people in the upper part of Lee County, Va. Several hollows branch out from the town itself with a total population of 2780. This is essentially the area north of Stone Mountain to the Kentucky line bordered on the West by Route 421 proceeding to Harlan, Ky., and eastward to Jordan Branch just west of the community of Keokee.
There are no red lights in all of Lee County–the only semblance of one is a yellow warning light in the county seat, Jonesville. In the last census, Lee County was the poorest in Virginia, and the mining area in the northern section (location of St. Charles) is the poorest in the county. St. Charles remains the Democratic stronghold in spite of the fact that Lee County has turned fiercely Republican in the last six years. Eighty per cent of the people in the county are on welfare, and most are no longer able to work because of heart and lung conditions. Many are still awaiting black lung benefits. Governmental regulations about black lung benefits are constantly changing, and there are still 21,000 cases pending: some St. Charles people have not heard anything since they filed four years ago.
See the 1974 SHC Annual Report for more information.
Related People:
Tish Crane Rainey
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Cathy Barrow Heck and Jeff Heck
Contributed by Cathy Barrow Heck I was absolutely sold on the Appalachian Student Health Coalition upon seeing the video as a nursing student in the fall of 1973. The idea of a team of students working in partnership with rural… Continued
Rebecca Joffrion Ingle
Contributed by Rebecca (Becca) Joffrion Ingle. I was born in Starkeville, Miss. in 1952, but grew up from age 5 in Huntsville, Ala. This small, sleepy Alabama town exploded in growth and diversity during those years with the coming of… Continued
Nancy Raybin
Nancy worked with SHC in the summers of 1973 and 1974 as a community organizer in St. Charles, Va. and then as co-director of the Coalition in East Tennessee and western Virginia. She was at that time an undergraduate student… Continued
J. Thomas “Tom” John
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Art Van Zee
Art Van Zee, during his Internal Medicine Residency at Vanderbilt, served as a mentor for Coalition students in 1974 and 1975 when the health fairs were active in St. Charles and other southwest Virginia sites. He was very taken by… Continued
Related Stories:
Reflections on the legacy of coal camp healthcare and success of the St. Charles Clinic
Several closely tied to the St. Charles Clinic gather to discuss what contributed to its success and reminisce about past generations of healthcare in the area, namely during the time large coal companies were active. They emphasize the determination of… Continued
The renaming of “Negro Head Rock”
Ron Carson showcases an old check with an emblem of what used to be called “Negro Head Rock” and shares the story about his grandmother’s 1968 petition to have it renamed. It’s now known as Stoneface Rock. Interestingly, former Student… Continued
“I will always be grateful for the gifts that the work and the people of those summers gave to me.”
[Story contributed by Angela Carroll Healy, M.D.] Dear All, Seeing the videos and reading the memories of other Coalitioners has made me want to share what working with the Student Health Coalition (SHC) meant to me. I was a Brooklyn… Continued
On the evolution of treatment and maintenance for opioid addiction in St. Charles, Va.
Art Van Zee discusses the evolution of treatment for opioid addiction, including monumental shifts particularly valuable to rural communities such as St. Charles, Va. He explains that access to methadone maintenance treatment is extremely restricted for many people in isolated… Continued
Dr. Daniel Gabriel’s legacy in St. Charles, VA
Ron Carson discusses Dr. Daniel Gabriel, M.D. and his local legacy in African American healthcare as the only doctor who in the 1940s and 50s would see Black patients. Full footage of Ron Carson’s tour of the African American… Continued
Art Van Zee on the first health fair in St. Charles and early clinic history
Art Van Zee shares about the first health fair in St. Charles, Va. (1973) and expands on the origins of the clinic that still stands today. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of Art Van Zee’s interview. Continued
Art Van Zee on the opioid epidemic in southwestern Virginia
Art Van Zee was among the first physicians in the U.S. to warn people about the dangers of OxyContin and take a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company head on for its marketing blunders. He describes his witness of the problem rapidly… Continued
Post-Reconstruction African American migration and the St. Charles coal camps
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The Elliot’s in southwest Virginia today
Howard Elliot III, grandson of Howard and Elsie Elliot from St. Charles, Va., shares about his own work in the coal mining area of southwest Virginia 50 years later. Follow this link for access to the full-length interview. Recorded April… Continued
Jack Beckford on the Student Health Coalition Legacy Fund
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The Elliot’s cement picnic table, a neighborhood fixture
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Nancy Raybin’s onboarding and role as Director of the St. Charles Clinic, 1974
Nancy Raybin discusses her onboarding and role as the Director of the St. Charles Clinic from 1974 to 1976, a period during which she hired Polly McClanahan as the clinic’s Nurse Practitioner (NP), recruited Art Van Zee as the clinic’s… Continued
Art Van Zee on community hosts Howard and Elsie Elliot
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On the success of the St. Charles Clinic: Art Van Zee’s decision to stay and other local leaders
Nancy Raybin highlights Art Van Zee’s commitment to the St. Charles Clinic (and decision to stay) as the foremost contributing factor to its success. She also speaks to the local leadership of many others involved in the clinic’s foundation. Follow… Continued
On the St. Charles Clinic’s economic model: “…it had to survive beyond the goodwill of volunteers”
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Reflections on culture: camaraderie, family, and the destructive fallout of addiction in St. Charles
Art Van Zee reflects on the rich coal mining culture of St. Charles, Va. and surrounding communities. He describes its positive impact on the connectedness of extended family units and overall sense of camaraderie among neighbors. In doing so, Art… Continued
On the coal mining legacy of southwest Virginia
Howard Elliot III, grandson of Howard and Elsie Elliot from St. Charles, Va., discusses the coal mining legacy of southwest Virginia, namely in and around Big Stone Gap coalfield. He touches on various logistics of the work 50 years ago… Continued
On healthcare education and mentoring
Art Van Zee discusses the value of healthcare education and mentoring. He expresses gratitude for the nurturing and supportive environment both his parents cultivated for him as a child; for Sister Beth Davies’ mentorship in the field of addiction-related healthcare… Continued
The role of themes and tendrils in packaging the Coalition narrative
John Davis reflects on the process of being involved in the archive project, noting the joy of collectively rediscovering the Coalition narrative and the challenge of packaging it according to over-arching themes and other common threads. Biff Hollingsworth adds that,… Continued
Bridging a cultural divide: St. Charles welcomes SHC students, 1973
Art Van Zee reminisces the power of St. Charles‘ warm welcome to students in the summer of 1973, commenting on the richness and impact of mountain culture on nurturing sustainable community relationships. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of… Continued
First integrated band in St. Charles, VA: Smith Carson and the Black and White Melody Boys
Ron Carson shares about his grandfather’s, Smith Carson, first integrated band in the area: the Black and White Melody Boys. Their legacy throughout the South includes having played with Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley. Full footage of Ron Carson’s… Continued
On Art Van Zee’s decision to stay in St. Charles
Art Van Zee shares the motivation behind his decision to stay at the clinic in St. Charles, Va., long after the Student Health Coalition’s activity there. His story is but one example of the long-term impact the SHC had on… Continued
Population decline and water runoff in southwest Virginia: Bonnie Blue
Howard Elliot III, grandson of Howard and Elsie Elliot from St. Charles, Va., elaborates on how steady population decline in southwest Virginia has created barriers to his work relocating rail lines. He names Bonnie Blue as a good example of… Continued
Hearts of Gold
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History of the St. Charles Clinic ft. Art Van Zee
Art Van Zee, an active participant in the Student Health Coalition’s work in St. Charles, Va., beginning first in 1973 with a visiting summer clinic, discusses the now more established center’s evolution and his role as a physician there. Recorded… Continued
The role of community control in structure of Stone Mountain Health Clinics
Art Van Zee discusses the impact of community agency on the success of the St. Charles Clinic and the key role local ownership plays in rural healthcare centers. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of Art Van Zee’s interview. Continued
An overview of Nancy Raybin’s SHC experience
Nancy Raybin recaps her time with the Student Health Coalition, from initial introduction during the spring semester and subsequent participation as a community organizer in St. Charles, Va. during the summer of 1973 to serving as co-Director–alongside Randy Hodges and… Continued
Nancy Raybin on Bill Dow’s visionary leadership and other prominent figures in southwest Virginia
Nancy Raybin describes Bill Dow’s visionary leadership, highlighting his role in securing funds for the Coalition’s varied projects. But given her placement in St. Charles and being so far removed from SHC happenings in East Tennessee, Raybin speaks more to… Continued
The power of multi-generational primary care
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Art Van Zee’s message to students today
Art Van Zee discusses how the legacy of St. Charles Clinic may serve as inspiration to students today, and encourages them to harness a belief that they, too, should feel empowered to get involved in social movements. Recorded March 17th,… Continued
Recollections of local hospitality in St. Charles, Va.
Grandson Howard Elliot III and daughter Fay, of Howard and Elsie Elliot from St. Charles, Va., reminisce their family’s hospitality toward Vanderbilt students during SHC summer health fairs. This recollection of local generosity is but one piece of a larger… Continued
1976 St. Charles Health Clinic, VA
After the 1975 health fair in St. Charles, Va., the local health council worked tirelessly to build a permanent clinic. By 1976, that clinic had opened to the public. And over time, it grew into a network of 12 regional… Continued
Related Resources/Links:
Video: The St. Charles Health Clinic
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Interview with Mary Herr by Jessie Wilkerson, May 19 2011, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
Mary Herr was born in Springfield, Ill. in 1940. In 1978 she moved to Cherokee, N.C. where she has worked on many community development projects, primarily in legal aid services. Herr begins the interview by discussing her family history; a… Continued