McDowell County

McDowell County. . , On February 20, 1858, the General Assembly of Virginia passed legislation creating McDowell County from the western section of Tazewell County. McDowell County was named in honor of James McDowell, the governor of Virginia between 1843 and 1846, and became part of the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Throughout the 1800s, McDowell County was predominately agrarian with small self-sufficient farms and isolated communities. The arrival of the Norfolk and Western Railway and the coal industry transformed McDowell County’s economy from agriculture to a booming industrial one. By the 1950s, McDowell County was the leading coal producer in the United States. , In the late 1800s and early 1900s, experienced coal operators from Pennsylvania migrated to McDowell County. They opened mines and established towns, building company owned houses, churches, schools, and stores near the rail line. Due to the small native workforce available, coal companies recruited workers from the Pennsylvania coalfields, the American South, and Eastern Europe to work in the mines. The population quickly increased peaking at 98,887 in 1950. , In addition to those working in the coal and railroad industries, doctors, lawyers, bankers, and merchants moved into McDowell County. They settled in towns located outside of the company towns and established businesses. Towns including Kimball, Welch, Iaegar, Davy, Anawalt, and War became merchant centers and railroad towns. , After the 1950s, McDowell County fell on tough times. Mine mechanization changed the coal industry requiring fewer workers. Residents left the county in search of new jobs and educational opportunities. The county’s population dropped to approximately 20,000 in 2010.