Articles

General Articles.

Logan’s Boulevard has a storied history

By Dwight Williamson Now that part of the new boulevard bridge in Logan is open and with the July 4th holiday completed, perhaps a little rehashing of local history might be in order. I can’t help but wonder about how congested things must have been in Logan prior to the completion of the Logan Boulevard, […]

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Logan County is rich with Native American history

By Dwight Williamson I get quite a bit of information from folks all over this country in reference to some of the material produced weekly in this column. I have received numerous books, letters, pictures and other materials through the mail, as well as numerous comments and suggestions via the internet. On some occasions, I

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Hatfield and Chafin clans played large role in Logan history

By Dwight Williamson Since some people no longer feel the town of Logan has much of a future, the fact of the matter is it may be time to resurrect the dead in hopes for a more eventful and forlorned date with destiny. A short tour of Logan will reveal from its brick structures that

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Some find their life goals at home; others move away

By Dwight Williamson When I have more time, I hope to write about the number of former Logan Countians who became outstanding in one profession or another — some who departed their homeplaces, and a few who remained within our mountainous confines. Logan County has produced former NFL greats, one of the best sports agents

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Changes in Logan during the year 1912

By Dwight Williamson It was 1912 in Logan County, and even though they were not allowed to vote, women had already started making a difference for the town of Logan, which was well on its way to becoming a true and bustling city. Thanks to the rapidly growing coal industry, Logan would become an enlightened

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Dehue Company Store Closing

Clipping courtesy of Brandon Ray Kirk. Click on the image for a larger view. A transcription is below for easier reading. Logan Banner, June 30, 1980 By Dwight Williamson Time, inflation and increasing competition has brought the end to yet another of Logan County’s historic milestones – the company store. The Dehue company store, a

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Early 1900s Logan was crime infused with soap opera

By Dwight Williamson A short tour of Logan will reveal from its mostly brick structures that much of its glamourous but notorious past occurred from around 1908 through the 1940s, although events of interest certainly didn’t end following World War II. It’s just that the early decades of the 1900’s are more riveting in terms

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Every building in downtown Logan has a story

By Dwight Williamson There is not a single building in the town of Logan that is not historically connected to the annals of times past where the names of many civic, business, and political leaders strived and even thrived in what was an ever-growing city full of vigor and vision — most of which occurred

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Early Logan County was a ‘mess’

By Dwight Williamson The July 23rd 1929 edition of The Logan Banner proclaimed that 10,000 or more people had attended the third annual reunion of the Devil Anse Hatfield clan near the old home place on upper Island Creek. The Banner reported that “Hatfield’s, their kinsmen, neighbors and friends” all gathered in a great celebration.

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Life was more free when tram roads crossed the mountains

By Dwight Williamson I was just a young kid who sometimes rode on a Trailways bus to town with my mother, but I can recall the lines of people waiting to get into movie theaters. And I remember vividly the fish tanks in the back of the “dime store,” as well as the humongous pair

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