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 […]
Early 1900s Logan was crime infused with soap opera Read More »
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
Every building in downtown Logan has a story Read More »
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
Logan High School almost missed being on the island Read More »
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.
Early Logan County was a ‘mess’ Read More »
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
Life was more free when tram roads crossed the mountains Read More »
By Dwight Williamson “Let he who is without sin be the one to cast the first stone.” Those were the words of Jesus of Nazareth, according to the Bible, and those also were practically the only words delivered by Rev. B.C. Gamble during the 1932 church services of Mamie Thurman at Nighbert Memorial Church in
The murder of Mamie Thurman remains a mystery Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Whether or not you are a history buff, people – especially in Logan and Mingo counties – should know that Mingo County was formed from Logan County in 1895. However, I’d bet very few people know that an old mountain moonshiner is credited with being the “daddy” of the project that led
The man responsible for the creation of Mingo County Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Ferdinand Midelburg. The name almost sounds like royalty. And in many ways, perhaps the former Logan millionaire was the ‘king” of the theater business – at least in Logan County. There is the community of Midelburg in the town of Logan that is located across the Guyandotte River near Stollings. And there
The Midelburg family history in Logan Read More »
By Dwight Williamson It was the summer of 1972 and the almost unbearable scorching heat was taking its toll on the “boys of summer” — better known as the “Porch Sitters.” Most of us who had spent nearly our entire lifetimes congregating every day and night on the concrete porch of Island Creek Coal Company’s
A guardian angel from 1972 Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Like many Logan Countians who grew up in coal camp communities, we often referred to our little coal camp areas as numbers. For instance, when I was growing up and a school teacher or someone else asked me where I lived, I would answer by saying “16 Mud Fork.” It was never
Remembering the Community of Holden 22 Read More »