General Articles.
Courtesy of Christine Hall The beginning of Logan County is a picture of uneducated men setting out into a strange country as pioneers; courage and a will to win being their only tools. The history of this county dates back to the French and Indian War. William Baker, a deserter from General Braddock’s army, was […]
History of Logan County from the 1940 LHS Yearbook Read More »
By Dwight Williamson My earliest recollection of receiving a haircut is when I was about five years old and sitting in a chair on my grandparents’ front porch. Although I can’t say for sure, I suspect the hair cutting event was likely due to me getting ready to go to school for the first time.
WV’s oldest barber shop is in Logan Read More »
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 »
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 The Logan Banner did not exist when the county of Logan or the village that is now known as the town of Logan came into existence. In fact, it wasn’t until 1888 that the newspaper started being published as The Logan County Banner. The point being that there are no real written
Graveyards abounded under Logan streets Read More »
By Dwight Williams EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part two of a column on Tennis Hatfield of the famous feuding family of Logan and Mingo County and the Blue Goose saloon. The Hatfield-McCoy Feud is world renowned, but few people know about what could be termed the “Hatfield-Chafin Feud;” a bitter political feud between former business
Tennis Hatfield and the Blue Goose Saloon Read More »