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 »
By Dwight Williamson The Ohio, Guyandotte, Tug, and Big Sandy rivers, as well as Indian trails, were no doubt the first avenues of travel into the lands of what was centuries ago simply known as the unsettled mountains of western Virginia. Mostly Scotch-Irish settlers hailing as protestant immigrants from Northern Ireland, who had been looked
Early Travel in Logan County Read More »
By Dwight Williamson Although it might be difficult to pinpoint any one particular year in Logan County history as most significant, the year of 1963 has to stand out as a very important time in the annals of local history. A few things of paramount interest at the time include the worst flooding in the
Recalling one of the worst floods in Logan Read More »
By Dwight Williamson The steam was still rising from the concrete porch of the company store following the downpour that came on a very humid late June afternoon at Verdunville, which like just about every other hollow in Logan County during the 1960’s, was filled with the fun-loving spirits of young people whose world consisted
By Dwight Williamson In one way or another, we all are making history just by existing. However, for people who really study history, the quote, “Nothing has really happened until it is recorded,” most definitely applies. So,—let it be written and let it be said—that Logan County history is being made right before our eyes—in
History before our eyes Read More »
By Dwight Williamson The closing of so many Sears’s stores across the nation, including the one at Aracoma near Logan and the Charleston Town Center Mall location, is sad to see in these turbulent economic times. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Logan County is suffering badly. Vacant buildings in the
The journey of Logan’s Woman’s Club Read More »