Buffalo Creek Flood Disaster in Logan County, WV killed 125 people on Feb. 26, 1972

Mud, muck and misery

By Emery Jeffreys On Feb. 26, 1972 memories of death, destruction, mud, muck and misery on Buffalo Creek were seared into my brain when a wall of black water killed 125 people and left 4,000 more homeless. Monday marked the 46th anniversary. It was the first big disaster I covered when I worked at The […]

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Newspaper and Radio

By Clarence H. Frey Published in 1952 The City of Logan was 36 years of age when Henry Clay Ragland published his first issue of The Logan Banner. Mr. Ragland was a prolific writer and copies of his newspaper record much current news and feature poems and history of the county most of which he

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Census Taker

Courtesy of Joanne Halterman Author Unknown It was the first day of census, and all through the land; The pollster was ready … a black book in hand. He mounted his horse for a long dusty ride; His book and some quills were tucked close by his side. A long winding ride down a road

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Night of the Angel

An Absolutely True Event By Ken Frye January 19th 1985 late night The snow was deep, 16 inches or more and the cold was cold, minus 10 degrees or more. Logan County West Virginia is located in the southern end of the state and usually gets some cold weather and snow during the winter but

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Marry Christmas

Coal camp Christmas memories

By Dwight Williamson Christmastime brings back many memories for me. The smell of a fresh cut pine tree standing in the living room and the crackling of a fire built to keep us warm while sleigh riding off the schoolhouse hill at Verdunville is what comes to mind as I wander back to the days

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Fires change course of Logan’s history

By Dwight Williamson Fires have always taken their tolls on historical sites in Logan County, including two Logan County courthouses. However, two significant fires of interest which some people will remember occurred at very historical sites: the Aracoma Hotel in November of 2010, and the Chafin Building (formerly known as the Guyan Valley Bank) also

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Coal Company Scrip

Scrip – Coal Miners Money In the early days of coal mining, the miner became indebted to the company for everything from food and housing to the tools necessary to perform his job. He could draw scrip as an advance against his wages. The Company built houses which were rented to their employees and general

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The Creation of Logan County

By Dwight Williamson When you are talking about the history of Logan County, West Virginia, in reality you may also be speaking of the history of Cabell County and the Commonwealth of Virginia. So, when one is describing the events prior to 1823, such as the first white settlers in the Guyandotte Valley, or the

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