On Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles east of Coal Heritage Road in Northfork (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling east.
Like so many of the mining companies in the Pocahontas field, Ashland Coal & Coke Company was
organized by men from the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Several of the original stockholders were from
Ashland, Pennsylvania, and for this reason, the . . . — — Map (db m178968) HM
On Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles east of Coal Heritage Road in Northfork, on the right when traveling east.
From the perspective of the coal company, the company store had a vital economic function. In an age when sixty percent of the mine’s cost of production consisted of wages, it ensured that the flow of money was circular. Miners’ wages flowed . . . — — Map (db m178984) HM
On Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles east of Coal Heritage Road in Northfork (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling east.
Throughout much of the history of mining, miners have been hampered in their efforts to earn a living wage by the lack of steady work. In the years prior to the 1930s, when unionization and mechanization of loading began to change the industry, the . . . — — Map (db m178974) HM
On Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles east of Coal Heritage Road in Northfork (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling east.
Ashland is located along the North Fork of Elkhorn Creek, one of the most heavily developed coal regions in the Pocahontas field. At its height, the North Fork valley held an estimated ten thousand people, some of whom worked for the Ashland Coal . . . — — Map (db m178973) HM
On Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles Coal Heritage Road in Northfork (U.S. 52), on the left when traveling east.
Child labor was common in West Virginia during the hand loading era, which took place from the onset of coal mining in the 19th century until around 1930. Mining was a skilled craft, and it took a number of years to learn. A young miner usually . . . — — Map (db m178964) HM
On West Virginia Route 83 at Bartley Hollow Road (Local Route 83/01), on the right when traveling west on State Route 83.
Near here in Bartley No. 1 shaft mine, on Jan. 10, 1940, fire and explosion killed ninety-one miners. The names of the men who lost their lives are inscribed on monument erected in the park by the United Mine Workers of America. — — Map (db m1860) HM
On West Virginia Route 80, 0 miles south of U.S. 52, on the left when traveling north.
Here Major (later General) Andrew Lewis camped, February 26, 1756, with Virginia troops on way to attack Indians who had been raiding the settlements. Bitter cold and food shortage brought disaster to the expedition. — — Map (db m200621) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.1 miles south of Lavania Street, on the right when traveling south.
Within a ten month period, two devastating floods impacted McDowell County and its residents. The first major flood occurred on Sunday, July 8, 2001, after
a series of heavy thunderstorms dropped over eight inches of rain. By early afternoon, the . . . — — Map (db m178770) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.1 miles south of Lavania Street, on the right when traveling south.
cDowell County had the largest concentration of African
Americans in the West Virginia coal fields. Between the 1870s and 1900s, African Americans came to West Virginia to construct the Norfolk & Western, Chesapeake & Ohio, and the Virginian . . . — — Map (db m178858) HM
On Carswell Hollow Road (Local Route 52/06) just north of Coal Heritage Road (U.S. 52), on the left when traveling north.
Mining at Carswell, a mile north of Kimball, started in May 1914 and continued until the complex closed in 1965. The mines had a history of fatal accidents that resulted in the deaths of 65 men. Explosions at the vivian (1916), Kimball (1919) & . . . — — Map (db m178659) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.2 miles south of Lavania Street, on the left when traveling south.
The town of Kimball was named for Frederick Kimball, Norfolk and Western Railway’s (N&W, now Norfolk Southern Corporation) second president—serving from 1881-1903. Frederick Kimball was a civil engineer with an interest in geology who helped to . . . — — Map (db m178876) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.1 miles south of Lavinia Street, on the right when traveling south.
Frederick James Kimball (1844-1903) was responsible for the Norfolk & Western Railway being built through McDowell County. Kimball was born on March 6,1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He worked for railroad companies in Pennsylvania and England . . . — — Map (db m178855) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.2 miles south of Lavania Street, on the left when traveling south.
The West Vivian Tunnel (approximately 820 feet west of this sign) was constructed about 1907 by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W, now Norfolk Southern Corporation), and is named for a small unincorporated community about one mile east of . . . — — Map (db m178956) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.1 miles south of Lavania Street, on the right when traveling south.
In the early 1920s, David Houston, a prominent coal baron and owner of the Houston Coal and Coke Company, built the Houston Company Store. Unlike other company stores, the Houston Company Store was built on the edge of Carswell Hollow along Route . . . — — Map (db m178862) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 52) 0.1 miles south of Lavania Street, on the right when traveling south.
In the 1920s, a group of World War I veterans approached the McDowell County Commission to discuss their plans for building a
new memorial that would recognize African American veterans. The county approved the plan and set aside $25,000 for the . . . — — Map (db m178735) HM
This structure, dedicated on February 11, 1928, was first building in U.S. built to honor African Americans for their military service during World War I. This Classical-style building, designed by Welch architect Hassel T. Hicks, was erected with . . . — — Map (db m1823) HM
On U.S. 52 at Steam Engine Drive (Local Route 52/19), on the right when traveling north on U.S. 52.
First black woman elected to West Virginia legislature, 1950; retied in 1964. Leading advocate for labor and education; in 1955 she sponsored bill to allow women to serve on juries. Born 22 September 1893, she began teaching in 1910. Drewry served . . . — — Map (db m1822) HM
On Riverside Drive (West Virginia Route 16) north of Coal Heritage Road (U.S. 52), on the left when traveling south.
In June, 1862, Lt. Col. William
Russell (4th WV) ordered Company
D to McDowell County after learning
that E.V. Harman and 100 rebels
were terrorizing area Unionists.
Union troops arrived to find that
the guerillas had left the area in
order . . . — — Map (db m178654) HM
On McDowell Street (Route 16) at Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16), on the right when traveling south on McDowell Street.
City of Welch was
founded in 1894 and named
in honor of Capt. Isaiah A.
Welch. Welch has served as
the county seat of McDowell
County since 1892. Early as
1919-the Veterans Day Parade began and remains the
oldest of its kind in the . . . — — Map (db m178520) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
In the early 1900s, McDowell County had a large and diverse ethnic population. Most of the immigrants came from Europe with the largest concentration from Italy, Hungary, Russia, Poland, and Austria. Smaller numbers traveled from Australia, . . . — — Map (db m178621) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
The McDowell County Courthouse was the site of a significant event in West Virginia’s Mine Wars. On August 1, 1921, Sidney “Sid” Hatfield, former Matewan Chief of Police and hero to union coal miners, and his friend, Deputy Ed Chambers, arrived at . . . — — Map (db m178569) HM
On McDowell Street (West Virginia Route 16) south of Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16), on the right when traveling south.
The topography of Welch and surrounding area consists of steep hills, V-shaped valleys, and sharp ridges. Welch is tucked into this rugged terrain, with the town built on the narrow valley floor—less than 1,000 feet wide in places—of Tug Fork and . . . — — Map (db m178535) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 26) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
Captain Isaiah Arnold Welch (circa 1824-1902) was a land surveyor, civil engineer, and captain in the Confederate Army. Welch was hired by Major Jedediah Hotchkiss, a cartographer, to survey the coal and timber values in southern West Virginia. In . . . — — Map (db m178572) HM
On Riverside Drive (West Virginia Route 16) near Coal Heritage Road (U.S. 52), on the left when traveling south.
He gallantly gave his life in combat in the Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam during the battle for Khe Sanh, as a member of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. Fighting for the freedom from communism for the people of . . . — — Map (db m178656) HM WM
On McDowell Street just south of Utility Street, on the right when traveling south.
By proclamation of Welch City Council, Tug Street was renamed in honor of Mayor Martha H. Moore. Martha H. Moore was the 25” person to serve as mayor of the City of Welch. Martha Moore was born in Welch and began her public service to the city she . . . — — Map (db m203918) HM
Martha H. Moore Riverfront Park was developed in the aftermath of the devastating flood of May 2002. Several buildings along McDowell Street in the downtown area were damaged repeatedly to an extent that some of the structures had to be demolished . . . — — Map (db m178543) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
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, . . . — — Map (db m178627) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
The McDowell County Courthouse stands on a grassy lot overlooking Wyoming Street.
Welch was selected as the county seat after a lengthy debate ever its location. Prior to the
1892 election, the courthouse had been located in Perryville and . . . — — Map (db m178550) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) north of Bank Street.
McDowell County Courthouse.
After Welch was named the county
seat in 1892, Frank Pierce Milburn
designed the building, constructed
1893-94, with addition in 1909.
Added to National Register, 1979.
On August 1, 1921. former . . . — — Map (db m178642) HM
On Riverside Drive at Coal Heritage Road, on the left when traveling east on Riverside Drive.
Dedicated to
all veterans
of McDowell County
to the honor
and glory of
those who bravely
served to keep
our country a land
of freedom — — Map (db m203919) WM
On Coal Heritage Highway (U.S. 52) 1.1 miles west of Riverside Drive (West Virginia Route 103), on the right when traveling south.
McDowell County had no slaves in 1960, but when civil war came in 1961 many residents supported the Confederacy and the county took no part in early WV statehood efforts. Constitutional Convention delegates debated the inclusion of McDowell and . . . — — Map (db m178643) HM
On Riverside Drive (Route 16) north of Coal Heritage Road (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling south.
Boxcar P. L. M. K -134980 was given to the people of West Virginia by the people of France on 2/7/49. It was one of many used during World War I and World War II to haul troops and supplies to and from the front lines. Printed on its side is . . . — — Map (db m178646) HM
On Wyoming Street (West Virginia Route 16) at Bank Street, on the right when traveling north on Wyoming Street.
Incorporated, 1893, and named for Captain I.A. Welch, who led in the coal development of this county and founded the city. Here is the first memorial building erected in the United States to the memory of the veterans of World War I. — — Map (db m178547) HM
On Stewart St (West Virginia Route 16) at Davy Street (County Route 7), on the left when traveling west on Stewart St.
This is a State institution. It was founded in 1900 and has been maintained as a general hospital for treatment of charity and semi-charity medical and surgical cases. — — Map (db m178518) HM
On McDowell Street (West Virginia Route 16) near Wyoming Street, on the right when traveling south.
Welch is named for Captain Isaiah Welch, a surveyor whose accounts of rich coal seams in the Elkhorn Valley helped encourage development of the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W, now Norfolk Southern Corporation). In 1888 Captain Welch bought land at . . . — — Map (db m178524) HM
