Author Archives: Dolores Riggs Davis

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Logan County, West Virginia was being soaked with a steady drizzle of rain as a crowd gathered to wait for news at the entrance of the Macbeth Mine. At about 1:30 in the evening on September 2, 1936 the Macbeth … Continue reading →

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A Gaping Black Mouth

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Only six months after the first Macbeth explosion on March 11, 1937, the Macbeth Mine blew again killing eighteen men. As a March rain fell, scenes from September past were being replayed. Some of the men who helped carry out … Continue reading →

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DARK AS A DUNGEON – Holden 1960

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

On Tuesday, March 8, 1960 the Holden Mine at Island Creek No. 22 in Logan County, West Virginia, caught fire in the coal seam and created a carbon monoxide gas which killed eighteen men by asphyxiation. The men were trapped shortly after entering the mine at seven in the morning. Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Mine Disasters | Tagged | 2 Comments

LETTERS FROM THE LOGAN COUNTY HONOR ROLL

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Originally posted on March 30, 2011. Postcard sent to me by Aubrey Lee Spry from Dongbathein THE 1965 LOGAN HONOR ROLL Pfc Herman R. Adkins Ronald P. Barker USS Savage A/2C Lawrence A. Bird Sp/4 Ellis R. Blevins A/1C Harvey … Continue reading →

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GOODBYE MY DARLIN’ HELLO VIETNAM

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Joni Terrio designed the banner WELCOME HOME!!! THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO ALL VIETNAM VETERANS   GOODBYE MY DARLIN’ HELLO VIETNAM written by: Tom T. Hall – ca 1964 Recorded by: Johnny Wright, husband of Country Music singer Kitty Wells … Continue reading →

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DOES MAMIE THURMAN STILL WALK THOSE HILLS?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

MAMIE THURMAN MURDER IN LOGAN COUNTY The taking of another’s life is a monstrous act indeed. The violence of a murder has creepy vines that bind. It kills a part of everyone involved. After more than sixty-seven years when the … Continue reading →

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PART TWO, THE MAMIE STORY CONTINUES – THE TRIAL

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Mamie Thurman The trial of Clarence Stephenson began on Monday, September the tenth in Logan’s stately old courthouse. It was estimated that nearly one-thousand curious people crowded their way into the public gallery, the balcony, and even lined up in … Continue reading →

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LOGAN COUNTY PEOPLE AND PLACES

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

Originally posted on March 23, 2011 Logan County is located on the Guyandotte River, and nestled in the Appalachian Mountains with an elevation of six-hundred and sixty-two feet. Logan County was once called “The Billion Dollar Coal Fields.” Those days … Continue reading →

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BLUEGRASS RULES

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

That’s me sitting on the beach in Panama City Beach with my cd player on my knee listening to bluegrass music photo by: Jean McPeak BLUEGRASS RULES by: Dolores Riggs Davis Bluegrass music is often considered “hillbilly music.” However, it … Continue reading →

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TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Dolores Riggs Davis

At age five, I remember huddling around a Philco floor model radio with my parents listening to President Roosevelt’s chilling words, “This is a date that will live in infamy.” I knew by the grip of Mother’s hand something terrible … Continue reading →

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