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
