By Dwight Williamson I can honestly say that I do not desire to change much about any of my childhood, including most of those so-called “bad” things that I may have done while adjusting to my teenage years. I grew up living in five different coal camp houses, plus three more after I became an […]
We were ‘poor,’ but I didn’t care and still don’t Read More »
The Queen of Clawhammer: How “Aunt Jennie” Wilson Kept Appalachian History Alive Appalachian traditional music is defined by resilience, and few figures embody that spirit quite like Virginia Myrtle Ellis “Aunt Jennie” Wilson. Born in 1900 in Logan County, West Virginia, Aunt Jennie became one of the most celebrated master musicians of the old-time style.
Aunt Jennie Wilson banjo player Read More »
1957 Logan County Flood Photos If you commented on an image in this gallery and don’t see it, try clearing your browser’s cache. On Windows, a quick Ctrl + F5 hard refresh usually does the trick. Just keep in mind that image comments only appear on the image itself, not in the sidebar—we’re hoping an
Revised June 2, 2026 William Anderson Hatfield—better known as “Devil Anse” Hatfield—was one of the most formidable and controversial figures in Appalachian history. As the patriarch of the Hatfield family during the infamous Hatfield–McCoy feud, he became a symbol of frontier justice, loyalty, and violence along the rugged borderlands of West Virginia and Kentucky. Early
William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield Read More »
By Dwight Williamson When I was a sixth-grade student at Verdunville Grade School, my homeroom teacher was a silver-haired lady named Hattie Hale. Mrs. Hale’s son, Harold, either was at the time or had been Logan County state road supervisor. Back then, that most certainly meant her son likely was a key factor in local
Carmello “Mel” Cottone went from Mt. Gay to the White House Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Part II History, especially local history, has a way of just fading away with time. Unfortunately, people and places that were once revered in our youth too often leave us without a new generation ever knowing their former values, be them significant or just trivial. For example, as I daily travel by
Mel Cottone rubbed elbows with presidents Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series involving the amazing life of a former Logan Countian, who, like so many other former Loganites over the years, managed not only to prosper and make a name for himself in American history, but also to make Logan County proud in doing
Mel Cottone recalls growing up in Logan Read More »
By Dwight Williamson There’s a quote I recently saw from British author Virginia Woolf that says, “Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded.” If you give that quote some thought, you might agree with me in believing that history — be it on the tiniest of levels — is important to document in
Logan area had thriving Italian community Read More »
By Dwight Williamson With Halloween just a few days away, I thought it an appropriate time to write about the coincidence of two abandoned cemeteries. Both should be of significance in Logan County history because they contain the dusty remains of some of the most important people that ever existed in the establishment of the
Mamie Thurman and her connection to two Logan cemeteries Read More »
By Dwight Williamson It is sometimes hard for me to believe that it has been nearly 40 years since the name of Mamie Thurman started becoming almost a household name throughout the region. Since those early days of the stories of Mamie’s gruesome murder and the details of the trial of Clarence Stephenson, the accused
A letter from Ohio reveals an unlikely success story Read More »