Battleship or what some call Ralco (Raleigh Fire Creek Coal Company) or West Whitby is fading very fast as a place that is visible and habitable. There are a few houses still in use, but the main lane to access the camp leads to houses that are nearly a part of nature now. This page will have many more updates.
Despite the fact that this area has had at least 3 names, even the modern road signs call this area Battleship. As Bob and I drove into the camp, we saw the sign below:
Thanks to the folks who have been looking we now have some answers on the house below. Turns out that this was the Supers house at Ralco:
I
have been told (I don't know if it's true or not) that the super
supervised
the building of the house . It had double floors and expensive wood in
it.
Supposedly, after the house was finished, the Super was fired. My
parents
lived in that house for over 20 years. They moved there around the
year
1964 when I was 10 years old. Thanks to Bob Gravely for the contribution on the house!
Mr. Fred Henley, his wife Elizabeth and their 4 children--Fred, Sue, Dale and Bill lived in the house at Battleship. Mr. Henley was the butcher at the company store.
Thanks to Bob Duncan and Evelyn Sayers for the above contribution.
Another house ready to be reclaimed. There was another house above to the right, that fell in the day after this photo was taken.
