Barthell, in southeastern Kentucky, began in 1902 as the first of 18 mining camps developed by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company after regional coal lands were assembled and railroad access reached the site. With mines opening in the early 1900s, it became a productive company town for decades, even setting a record monthly output during the Great Depression and expanding further during World War II. Its decline started after a 1943 fire destroyed the tipple at Mine No. 1, and the camp was dismantled between 1952 and 1961. Since 1984, restoration has turned Barthell into an open-air museum preserving both company-town industry and daily life.