International Harvester company police in Benham

Having established a (quasi-) legal basis for their activities and a mechanism for implementing their decisions, the corporate owners were in an excellent position to exploit their power. They did this indirectly, however, for the sake of appearances in the public arena and perhaps more importantly, to sustain a contented work force. Pitched battles with workers were not in the owner s best interests, so control mechanisms were literally built into the social fabric and physical environment of Appalachian coal towns like Benham and Lynch. In the balance of this section, we will enumerate a dozen examples. 

Control of access. By their very nature Appalachian coal towns were situated in rugged, isolated areas. Steep hillsides divided by narrow valleys characterize these 

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