Byrnesville at one time was a busy area. Around the
1930 to 1950 years the Locust Run Colliery employed hundreds of coal miners. The main route through the area was route 122
and later named route 61. This route passed through Byrnesville and carried cars , trucks, busses along with the coal
mining traffic. The road went from Centralia, through Byrnesville and down to Ashland.
Someone built a picnic area just east of the village
and it became a gathering place for parties. As the years went on the colliery provided materials and some labor to help build
more tables and wooden seats for partying. Eventually a building was erected and it now became the Locust Run Game and Gun
Club. They also built a trap house for hurling clay pigeons, or blue rock as they were called then, so that people
could shoot at them.
Sundays were very busy days when many of the employees
of the local mines gathered to party and have different types of shooting matches.
There was plenty of beer, soda and and a huge kettle
of homemade ham and bean soup.
Eventually as the mines started to close the interest
in the gun club started to fade. The end came when the building burned to the ground. All that is left of this history is
a concrete foundation hidden within the area that is now covered with tree and bushes.
Over the years I have tried to find pictures of the
gun club to add to the other pictures I have on my Byrnesville history web pages. Unfortunately I could not find any. I asked
many people if they had pictures but I guess not too many could afford cameras then.
Thanks to Jim McIntyre I now have some to add. Jim
tells me that he got copies from Joe Yeager. Thanks again to these former local residents for the pictures.
The pictures are not too clear but they help tell
the story.
Mike Reilley
