A Walk Through Time-DeBardeleben Coal Mining Camp in Sipsey

This photo of the DeBardeleben Coal Mining Camp at Sipsey was taken in the early 1920s and depicts the white housing section of the camp. The camps had segregated facilities, as was the custom of that time.The DeBardeleben Coal Mining Company built 200 homes to be rented by the miners. The four room houses rented for $6 per month. Miners earned $1.50 to $3.00 for a ten-hour day, which was a much higher wage than many of the other mines paid.“Sipsey” is a Choctaw word which means “poplar tree," and probably originated from the poplar trees growing along the banks of the Sipsey River.