Saving Shallmar: Christmas Spirit in a Coal Town

In the fall of 1949, the residents of Shallmar, Maryland, were starving. The coal mine that was the town's only business had closed in March and the miners had no cars so that they could drive to another town to look for work. Their unemployment benefits ran out over the summer and they had maxed out their credit at the company store.

Then the children began fainting in school. Principal J. Paul Andrick knew something needed to be done before things got worse. He began writing letters and ma...