Izabella Zucker

Prosper Mine Story

14 April 2014
Coal was king.
For generations, mining has become synonymous with Prosper, Georgia. Men
take pride in sore muscles and smut-stained faces. Rumbling draglines and grinders
evoke dignity and familiarity.
For Jeff Suggs, mining is life. Raised by a miner, hes devoted the entirety of his
25 years a quarter-mile deep. His ash-smeared semblance is one of pride after a long
nights shift on the grinder.
Soon, Suggs will be unrecognizablehis face clean, his grinder silent.
United Coal Companys Mine No. 3, known colloquially as Hellpit, will close its
doors in two weeks, making Suggs one of the 1,000 people in Prosper that will soon lose
their jobs.
I dont know what were gonna do. Ive got a house payment, one kid, and a kid
on the way, said Suggs.
A husband and father of a two-year old daughter, Suggs is one of many Prosper
locals whose livelihood now faces uncertainty without the mine.
Joe Foster, a sixty-two-year old Prosper native, has built his life through the
downtown diner that has fed miners and locals alike for the past 22 years.
I think people are a combination of confused and angry with a heavy dose of
scared, said Foster.

The walls of Joes Diner, adorned with framed black and white photographs of
miners from years past, used to render admiration and self-worth among customers. Now,
these photos are viewed in a much dimmer light.
Im worried about what all of these people are gonna do, said Foster.
According to United Coal Company, the shutdown of the mine stemmed from a
severe cutback in demand for coal among manufacturers nationwide. Hellpit is the first of
what is projected to be a multitude of closings and slow downs among the companys 27
mines.
I dont think anyone is surprised given the economic slope, said Diane Nelson,
a representative from the coal company.
Mayor Lester Jenkins begs to differ.
Everyone is in shock, said Jenkins.
I knew of course the demand for coal was down, but I didnt expect this.
Nelson, who was sent to Prosper to help ease the closing of the mine, plans to
work with Jenkins and other government officials to ensure the smoothest transition for
those facing unemployment. The company aims to retrain miners to either explore other
kinds of occupations or move to where mining still remains a possibility.
For Prosper locals, this transition may be easier said than done.
Mining is all I know, said Suggs, a father who relies on mining to support his
growing family in Prosper.
Where am I gonna move? Whos gonna buy my house?
Like Suggs, Prosper faces another significant obstacle in conjunction with
unemploymentannual income.

For the past three decades, the budget of Prosper has skyrocketed from $40,000 to
$300,000 due to coal tax revenue. When the mine closes, the towns revenue will shut
down with it, according to Mayor Jenkins.
City officials forsee cutbacks for the upcoming fiscal year, with a budget that will
cover the towns essential services.
While officials and company representatives discuss the future of the town in
upcoming days, Suggs and his fellow co-workers now eat their breakfast at Joes Diner
with their hard hats hung slightly lower than before.
Im not an economist, said Suggs. Im just a guy who digs coal.