A collage of rural West Virginia scenes from Harts Area, Lincoln County, including wooded hills, snowy landscapes, wildlife, farming, a church, and a town road.
Expand to read a detaied image description: Photovoice Image Collage
The cover of the Southern West Virginia Photovoice Project features a collage of photographs taken by residents of the Harts area in Lincoln County, West Virginia. The images depict the community’s natural environment and everyday life, including cattle grazing in a pasture, snow-covered mountains and forests, a winding road through town, a church, a dog climbing a tree, an owl perched among branches, a bee collecting pollen, flowering trees, wooded hills, and roadside litter. Across the center, a burgundy banner displays the project title, with “Harts Area, Lincoln County” underneath. A smaller banner reads, “Their images ~ Their words ~ Their ideas for change.” The collage introduces the community through residents’ perspectives, highlighting its natural beauty, rural character, and environmental concerns.

The Harts Area Photovoice Group was located in Lincoln County, West Virginia. Members of the Harts Area Photovoice Group included (in alphabetical order):

Crystal Carter, Anita Frye, Karen Hartman, Lori Mitchell, Renae Thompson, Kay Tomblin, and P.J. Watts

From September of 2008 to May of 2009, these seven women created more than sixty photostories telling the story of their area. Their photostories fall within the five major themes listed below. Click on a theme to view a selection of photostories from that category.

Themes

Click on the theme heading to view the photostories in that category. Expand the image by clicking on it.

A narrow gravel road curves through dense green woodland, with fallen leaves scattered along its edges.
A white sign reads "Neighborhood Watch Patrol Lincoln County" with a crossed-out burglar symbol and community slogan.
A brown and a white cow and a light gray cow graze in a grassy pasture bordered by trees.
A long brick church with a white steeple stands before a wooded hillside, with an empty parking lot in front.
Three photos of a community health event show women at a health booth, performers dancing onstage, and children climbing a rock wall.
A small, still pond reflects surrounding green trees and vegetation, with yellow wildflowers along its banks.
Red, white, and blue Christmas lights form an American flag above the words "Old Glory" against a dark sky.
A blue bulletin board displays rows of letters beneath a banner reading "Thank You for the Freedom!"
Two views of a rural bridge, showing weathered wooden planks before repairs and new wooden decking and railings afterward.

An elevated view of a two-lane road with several cars, a gas station, and buildings surrounded by wooded hills.
Two sepia-toned photographs show an old metal hay rake in a field and a large haystack beside a dirt path.
Two views of an old wooden house with a red metal roof, stone chimney, and large tree in a grassy clearing.
A beagle lowers its head toward a dead raccoon lying on the ground, illuminated by a bright light in the darkness.
A winding road passes through a green valley surrounded by densely wooded mountains.
Three views of a wooded family cemetery, including a large tree, gravestones, and colorful flowers decorating graves.
A black, white, and brown beagle stands on its hind legs with its front paws against a large tree trunk.
A wooden house with a covered front porch sits in a snow-covered yard, with smoke rising from its chimney.
A tall metal fire lookout tower rises above leafy green trees against a blue sky.
Two photographs show different varieties of green ferns growing among fallen leaves on the forest floor.

A snow-covered path winds through a forest of bare trees, with sunlight filtering through the branches and illuminating the snow.
A leaf-covered dirt trail winds through a dense green forest, with a large rock resting along the path.
A densely forested mountain covered in brilliant red, orange, yellow, and green autumn foliage, with sunlight illuminating the treetops.
Snow-covered mountains and bare winter trees surround a small rural community nestled in a valley.
A large brown and gray owl with round eyes perches among bare tree branches at night.
Interlacing bare tree branches form intricate patterns against a soft pink evening sky.
A narrow snow-covered country road passes through tall, leafless trees beneath a soft pink winter sky.
Bare tree branches frame a gray-blue evening sky with streaks of pink and red clouds.
A black-and-white close-up of a jagged-edged leaf resting among grass, with round droplets of dew scattered across its surface.
A wooded mountainside displays a mixture of yellow, orange, red, brown, and green autumn foliage beneath a clear blue sky.
A close-up of a fuzzy bee collecting pollen from the bright yellow center of a vivid pink cosmos flower.
A winding woodland path is surrounded by trees with golden, orange, and green autumn leaves illuminated by warm sunlight.
A bright, glowing moon shines in the center of a dark, cloudless night sky.
A faint rainbow arcs across a cloudy sky above green trees and a grassy hillside.
A small, bright moon appears above the silhouettes of bare trees against a deep blue evening sky.
A bright moon shines through a network of bare branches and scattered autumn leaves against a dusky sky.
Tall trees stand silhouetted against a pale blue and golden evening sky as the sun sets behind a wooded hillside.
Trees displaying bright red, orange, and yellow autumn foliage stand on a grassy hillside beside a road.
A close-up photograph of a pale yellow rose with delicate petals covered in tiny water droplets.
A flowering tree covered in pink buds stretches its branches against a clear blue spring sky.
A brilliant orange and golden sunset silhouettes trees and a utility pole against the evening sky.
Snowflakes illuminated by a camera flash fill the dark night sky above a snow-covered road.
A close-up photograph of several black ants crawling over a reddish-pink peony bud surrounded by green leaves.
A faint rainbow stretches across a partly cloudy blue sky above a densely wooded mountain valley.

Discarded tires, plastic containers, broken furniture, and household garbage scattered across a leaf-covered wooded hillside.
Two large blue waste and recycling containers sit in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees.
Two photographs show a narrow rural road with deteriorating edges and a damaged, poorly positioned metal guardrail.
An abandoned, deteriorating sofa surrounded by scattered litter in a wooded area.
A damaged section of asphalt along the edge of a rural road, with a steep, overgrown embankment below.
A section of pavement ends abruptly beside a steep roadside drop-off and exposed rock embankment.
A large, exposed surface-mining area cuts across a forested mountainside surrounded by autumn foliage.
Two views of a garden show bare grapevines on wooden supports and rows of small, leafless fruit trees in a grassy orchard.
A sharp bend in a paved mountain road bordered by a guardrail and dense vegetation.
Three photographs show dead deer and scattered debris beside railroad tracks and a gravel roadside.
A convex traffic mirror mounted on a pole beside a building, with trees and a wooded hillside in the background.
Graffiti covers the side of a concrete highway overpass supported by a large pillar above a road surrounded by wooded hills.

Two photographs show discarded plastic bottles, cans, and other litter scattered along a roadside guardrail and wooded slope.
Plastic bottles and other flood debris pile against a bridge guardrail as muddy creek water rises alongside the roadway.
Three views of a wooded roadside slope show fallen tree trunks, cut branches, and brush left beneath power lines.