C.C. Chambers was one tough judge

By Dwight Williamson When it comes to nostalgic places in Logan County, it is difficult to beat a little place in the town of Logan that has survived and even thrived since 1928. It has seen the coming and goings of a bus terminal, a state-operated whiskey store, a furniture store, and a music store […]

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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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Coal town Omar lives on in FSA photos

by Emery Jeffreys The striking Great Depression-era photos of miners at Omar, West Virginia try to tell a simple story of daily life in the coal fields. The photos depict men who performed dangerous, back-breaking work to earn a poor man’s dollar, the long walk home, or a trip to a segregated movie theater. The

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Aracoma High School

The Aracoma High was a black high school from 1929 until 1962. The school was located at Coal Branch. More information will be added when ascertained and time permits. You may also enjoy these 1929 Logan Banner articles (courtesy of Brandon Ray Kirk) about the creation of Aracoma High School. You can help preserve a

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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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Logan High School almost missed being on the island

By Dwight Williamson One doesn’t have to be in downtown Logan to understand that the past is something that should not only be understood, but also appreciated for what transpired decades ago that could have changed all of what we identify with today. Sound confusing? Allow me to simplify the statement in an example. What

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