McDowell County, West Virginia: Working Payphone.

The The Rev. Jason L. Bryant writes:

I saw this pay phone in an old school in McDowell County, West Virginia. The school was being used to house church mission groups who came to work in the area. This area is deeply impoverished due to the downfall of the coal industry.

The phone actually worked and the mission group I took was fascinated by it. The younger ones because they’d never seen one and the older folks because it had been so long since they’d seen one. The irony of its being in usable condition is that the cell service in that area was so poor it was easier to plunk in a quarter than to hunt for a signal.

Another part of West Virginia, the National Radio Quiet Zone, is also known for its lack of cell phone signal. But in that area the void is intentional. On account of federal and state laws, including the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zoning Act, the area relies on landline telephone and even a beautiful old Airlight style phone booth for its communication needs. Read and see more at NPR.org.