In 1901, Byrant sent his associate, John Toomey, to lumber baron Justus S. Stearns in Michigan and convinced him to invest in the mineral rights of the Big South Fork area.

The first shipment of coal was delivered from Barthell in 1903 after the completion of the Kentucky and Tennessee Railroad from Stearns.

The onset of World War II further increased coal production at Barthell, requiring the addition of a second railway line.

[3] In 1984, the Barthell coal camp was purchased by the Koger family, who invested more than $500,000 of their own money into the revitalization of the community.

Many of the community's original structures, such as the company store, doctors office, and school house have been renovated and can be toured.