Bits of History and Nostalgia

Logan County Bits of History and Nostalgia

1927 Logan General Hospital and Nurses Quarters
1927 Logan General Hospital and Nurses Quarters, The Logan Banner, Friday, July 2, 1976 courtesy of Herb Harvey. The nursing school opened about 1910 and closed in June, 1948. Directors included: Miss Eloise Nichols, 1922; Miss Anna Robinette, 1926; Miss Elsa Pickens, 1930; Miss Irene Tobin, 1936; Miss Julia Louise Price, 1944; Miss Ann Trotkowsky, 1946; and Miss Florence Murphy, 1947. Source: “A Half Century of Nursing in West Virginia, 1907-1957” by Donovan H. Bond.

This is a collection of vintage photos, newspaper clippings and memorabilia that depicts some of the history and nostalgia about Logan County, West Virginia.


Logan Banner, TV Guide Section, January 15 – 22, 1966
Courtesy of Herb Harvey

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You can help preserve a bit of Logan County history by sharing your vintage newspaper clippings. To do so, please email its image to the admin at loganwv.us@gmail.com.

11 thoughts on “Bits of History and Nostalgia”

  1. According to the WV Tourism online stie, McCormicks Furniture Store opened in Logan WV. in 1936. They leased a small storage space out of a hotel to peddle whatever large appliances people could afford during the Great Depression. After WWII they expanded into a full on department store.

  2. Many of you have probably heard the expression,
    ” he’s losing his marbles ( brain wise )”. Well the
    photo with the marbles shows that I still have mine.
    These are the ones I saved from my childhood while
    living in Cherry Tree.

    I am hoping that more of you will put your recollections
    of your marble playing days.

    While its true I don’t recall how we played the game,
    I had to do some research. We use to draw a square
    box on the ground & get down on our knees to shoot
    & knock the marbles out of the box.

    This game was played with boys, no girls played
    in the game as I recall, not sure why?

    According to online info, the game was called Dropsies.
    The article deals mostly with the circle game of marbles.
    Each shooter puts in his marbles to be shot out by
    those playing the game. This was my first game
    of betting.

    In today’s market many collectors pay lots of money for
    the different colors & makes of marbles.

    1. there was another game.. you would set up 5 or 6 marbles and then draw a line about 2 or 3 feet away and others would shoot at the marbles and you got to keep the ones that missed.. nice collection of marbles sir

      1. Ralph,thanks for your comment.
        Good to know that there are still
        people who recall playing with marbles.

        Ok, do you recall how the shooters
        were selected to shoot first.
        Coin toss, heads or tails or some
        other ways.

        1. Bob,
          I seem to recall that one way the first to shoot was determined was by shooting to see who got closest to a line.

          I don’t recall specifics about the games but I recall some “terms” used in the games.

          One term was something like “fatty(sp?” which I think was when the marbles were placed in a square.

          Another term was “ring” which was when the marbles were placed inside a large circle.

          The term “eenies” was when a marble target was placed upon a small squeezed-up dirt mound (seems like it was an optional choice situation)

          Similarly, the term “surrounds” was used as an optional choice and it may have been a pre-game decision on rules of “surrounds” or “no surrounds”.

          “Tawl” was your shooting marble.

          You may recall that in an article I posted early last year under the “Mud Fork” topic, I mentioned a champion marble player from Thompson Town in the late 40′-early 50’s named Dean Curry. I didn’t recall the details of his success but it is deserving of having research done about him.

          Thanks for your contributions!

          1. Doug, thanks for your comments &
            doing the extra marble research.

            Your Feb.14, 2018 Mudfork story
            was really wonderful.

            I’ll let you do the research about
            Dean Curry as I couldn’t find
            anything about him.

            I did find that in 1923 Scripps Newspaper
            held its first marble championship in
            Akron ,Ohio.

            In 1951 the marble champ was
            Shirley Windy Allen who lived in
            Fairview, WV.

  3. The following info was taken from records at familysearch.org &
    other online sources.

    Willie Grimmett was a wonderful black American hero. His draft card
    for June 5, 1917 signed by him shows he was born September 21, 1891
    in Warrior Jefferson County Alabama. Warrior is a northern suburb of
    Birmingham & it was named after the Black Warrior River which is the
    main waterway in Jefferson. The county was named for President
    Thomas Jefferson. The Jefferson Warrior Railroad started operating
    in 1895. It operated 15 miles in & around Warrior & Birmingham.

    Willie’s draft card shows he was living in Birmingham. He was working
    for the J.W. Morgan company located in Clift Alabama. Clift was a
    planned coal mine town which no longer exists. James Morgan’s
    company had mining, geologists, electrical & mechancial engineers.
    James Sr. (1871- 1946) was married to Mary Wilson (1872- 1922).
    Their children were Willie, Howard, Ethel, Katherine & James Jr.

    Willie stated on his draft card that he was short & stout, he had black
    hair & eyes. He had both legs off at the knees & he was not able to
    have a trade but was able to work. He used crutches to get around.
    He was single & had never served in the military.

    The 1930 census shows that Willie lived & worked in Omar Logan
    County WV. Shows he was born in 1894 in Alabama. His D.R. shows
    that he was born February 1, 1887 & he died September 2, 1941 in
    Logan from a heart attack. He is buried in Stirrat Cemetery.
    His parents were Henry (1862- 1911) & Mary Grimmett (Jones).

    Henry died April 8, 1911 from a gas explosion by open light at the
    Banner Coal Mine in Jefferson County. There were 127 other miners
    who died that day. Mostly all were black men who were convicts
    serving 20-day sentences for petty crimes. You can read about this
    event by putting in your search, “Banner Mine Tragedy of 1911”.

  4. Row 6 article # 1 about Andrew White, he was
    born in 1834 in Logan County. He married
    Mary Frances Ferrell born in 1838 on
    June 30,1855 in Boone County WV.
    They had seven children, James- 1856-1942,
    George- 1859- ?, May- 1866-1929,Benjamin &
    Russell twins- 1869- ?, Arthur- 1879- ? &
    Sarah- 1881- ?.

  5. In 1927, Helen Piros(Tarkany) at the age of 15 worked
    for Minister Charles Douglas Whiteley & his wife
    Ethel. Charles was the Minister at the Presbyterian Church
    in Logan,WV. Ethel was the organist.
    Helen worked for them for one year & she received
    $ 30 a month. She took care of the home which
    was in Middleburg Addition, a two story white house.
    Records found at familysearch.org confirm that
    Charles was born in 1890 in North Carolina & he died
    there in 1961.Ethel was born in 1900 & she died
    in 1995 in same state.
    Their children whom Helen took care of were
    Catherine- 1923- ?
    Charles Jr.- 1925- 1983 & Donald – 1927- 1977.
    They all moved back to North Carolina in 1930.

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