December 19, 1895

Egypt’s short-lived success halted in 1895. On December 20, a major explosion killed thirty-nine miners. Headlines read “Forty-Three Dead – Terrible Explosion of Fire Damp [sic] at Cumnock Mines” and “The Dead Recovered” painted a somber picture of Egypt’s legacy.   Death, the great equalizer, did not discriminate based on the color of one’s skin. Relief funds poured in to support the families of those killed. Once again, the culprit, firedamp caused the accident. Those killed found home in various places. Though many of the men hailed from the region immediately surrounding the Deep River Coal Field, some moved to the region from Western North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. They ranged in ages, from the oldest documented death being fifty-five, and the youngest, thirteen. Fathers died alongside sons, some of which are entombed sharing headstones, or even singular plots. Newspapers shared that many of the men from out of state had roots outside the US – including Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany.

Name	Birthdate	Age	Race (Nationality)	Hometown/Birthplace	Burial Location
Atlas Andrews		Unk	White	Cumnock, NC
Will Baldwin		19	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Michael Bently		45	White (English)	Pennsylvania	Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
Ned Bently		20	White (English)	Pennsylvania	Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
John Gunter			White	Cumnock, NC
Clay Harris		31	Colored	Rowan County, NC
Walter Haughton			Colored
Lucian Holland		26	White	Cumnock, NC
Walter Horton		32	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Will Jenkins		24	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Jessie Lambert		Unk	White	Gulf, NC
Gaston Lambert		Unk	Colored	Cumnock, NC
John Males		31	White (English)	Langondale, PA
Will McDonald		23	White	Ironton, Ohio
Jack McIver		20	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Frank McKay		36	White (Irish)	Ramey, PA
George Monroe		Unk	White		Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
John Monroe		15	White	Cumnock, NC	Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
Daniel Morris		16	White	Cumnock, NC
Henry Morris		55	White	Cumnock, NC
JOhn Norwood		30	Colored	Norwood, NC
JOhn Odry (Obie)		30	White	Cumnock, NC
Charlie Poe		26	White	Cumnock, NC
Counts Poe		23	White	Cumnock, NC
Bennett Polander		Unk	White	New York
MH Quinn		40	White (Irish)	Ramey, PA	Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
Jim Rives		18	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Fisher Rives		27	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Love Schenck		21	Colored	Concord, NC
J Shamberger		Unk	White (German)	Trenton, OH
Joe/John Shmidt		Unk	White (German)	Trenton, OH
William Smalls		Unk	White		Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
William Smith			White
Will Smith		13	Colored		Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
Charles Starke		Unk	White (German)	New York
Joe Thompson		35	Colored	Cumnock, NC
John Toolery		Unk	White	Unknown
Thomas Tubby		35	White	Ramey, PA
Wright Tysor/Tyson		35	White	Cumnock, NC	Cumnock Community Cemetery, Lee County, NC
Lewis White		33	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Arthur White		28	Colored	Cumnock, NC
Joe White		29	Colored	Cumnock, NC