Apple butter, apple cider, applesauce, apple pie! There were few home grown products more useful to the mountain farmer than apples. Cuttings from favorite trees were often taken from place to place when the family moved or children left home. Today . . . — — Map (db m140612) HM
(preface)
On March 24, 1865, Union Gen. George Stoneman led 6,000 cavalrymen from Tennessee into southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina to disrupt the Confederate supply line by destroying sections of the Virginia and Tennessee . . . — — Map (db m208799) HM
Served 1843-1845 as the seat of McDowell County government. Home of Col. John Carson and his sons, Jonathan L., Samuel P., William, & Joseph McD. Now a historical museum. — — Map (db m77431) HM
[Center)
Dedicated
in honor of all
McDowell County
veterans and to
the memory of
those who gave
their life for
our country
Note: Conflicts and names are listed in the order, from left to right, that they appear on . . . — — Map (db m240417) WM
National Championship winning college basketball coach for University of North Carolina and Member of Basketball Hall of Fame. Born in 1950 in Marion General Hospital, which stands one block north. — — Map (db m77442) HM
Title: "What Happened To Our School?"
September 19th, 2020
This mural depicts two scenes from Old Fort's effort to fight racial injustice.
Left side
The image on the left is based on a photograph of black school children marching on . . . — — Map (db m202569) HM
This geyser was built in 1912 by George Fisher Baker of New York, as a tribute to his friend Colonel Alexander Boyd Andrews, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and in appreciation for the great public service he rendered in the development and upbuilding . . . — — Map (db m98508) HM
Built ca. 1885 to mark railroad gateway to the Blue Ridge Mts. Restored in 1911 & 1975. Named for A. B. Andrews of Raleigh. Located 2.1 miles north. — — Map (db m97673) HM
Early outpost against Indians. Used by Gen. Rutherford in expedition against Cherokee, Sept., 1776. Stood nearby and gave name to this town. — — Map (db m208372) HM
William Bloomfield “Bloom” Rumfelt and his wife, Louise, raised 10 children in this log house, built during the 1880s on a 40-acre farm near present-day U.S. 221 and Mud Cut Road, south of Marion, NC.
When the Rumfelts later moved to Shelby, NC, . . . — — Map (db m211001) HM
Thomas and Martha Allison built and lived in this log cabin along Cane Creek, east of Old Fort, in the late 1860s, after Thomas returned home from the Civil War as a Confederate veteran.
About 1880, the Allisons moved to Colorado, and William and . . . — — Map (db m211007) HM
The 8000-acre Curtis Creek tract before you was the first parcel of land acquired under the Weeks Act. This act was signed by President Taft in 1911 and authorized buying parcels of land that would become eastern National Forests. This tract also . . . — — Map (db m183160) HM
The Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center is dedicated to bringing life to the wonderful history of the “Old North State”. The museum, open year round, focuses on history from the pioneer era through the early 20th century. A variety of . . . — — Map (db m211004) HM
This marks the site of the old Indian fort built A.D. 1756 the western outpost of the United States and of North Carolina until 1776 from which this town was named — — Map (db m208371) HM
The hills and valleys before you may seem quiet, rounded with age and blanketed with thick forests. But if you listen closely between the distant sounds of a train whistle, you may hear the sounds of fiddles, banjos and strings bands that still ring . . . — — Map (db m183172) HM
The old Clinchfield Railroad loops and tunnels through the Blue Ridge Mountains before you. Construction of this difficult section began in 1905 when 4,000 workmen, mainly Russian, German and Italian immigrants, began blasting and hammering their . . . — — Map (db m123180) HM
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 . . . — — Map (db m178524) HM