McDowell County

Ronald Bailey traveled back to his familial home to find out what went wrong in Appalachia.

After leaving the New River area, we drove through the dark to the Elkhorn Inn in Landgraff, West Virginia. Landgraff is in McDowell County in the southeast corner of the state. My fascination of coal and railroads made this ideal place… 3.2k SHARES Share ItTweet This GooglePinterestStumbleupon

Ever wonder what West Virginia houses looked like in the 1930s? Here's a look.

The other stretch between Landgraff and Welch is also only 10 miles. Driving from east to west you will drive through Vivian, Kimball, Carswell, Big Four, Superior, and Maitland before arriving to Welch. Most of these towns are very small to non-existent besides… 815 SHARES Share ItTweet This GooglePinterestStumbleupon

Ruins of Jenkinjones, McDowell County West Virginia. The last mine there closed in 1989.

One of these towns even bans cell phones.

I explored the portion of McDowell County between Bluefield and Williamson along the Norfolk Southern’s mainline. Neither of these town are actually in McDowell County but are just on the outskirts on either end. The first town within the county… 568 SHARES Share ItTweet This GooglePinterestStumbleupon

These photos of West Virginia's mining history tell a story of exploitation, explosions, murders, and above all, of hard work.

West Virginia Coal Mines 1940s | ... Coal and Coke Co, Giliam Mine, Gilliam, McDowell County, West Virginia