The Coal Heritage Highway a.k.a. King Coal Highway a.k.a. US Route 52. A.k.a. Trump Country. From the campaign rallies to the headlines to the tweets, the rhetoric that resonated the most in West Virginia was the promise of a return to the Appalachian "glory days" when Coal was King (although presumably not the "Company Town" or the "Federal Marshals breaking Unions by Gun Point" glory days but a more nebulous glory days). I get it. At least I think I do. I understand the pride people have in their hometowns. I love shopping local. I love dining local. I love traveling local. My favorite spot to "travel" is my hometown. All Americans had our local hardware stores go the way of Home Depot's and Lowe's. Our Gold Medal Sports became a Sports Authority became an empty store front. Our Encore Books became a Borders became an empty storefront. Small town America was first ravaged by cheap goods from China. Then by technology. It stinks. I'm not sure if any place has fallen as hard as the towns along the Coal Heritage Highway. These towns had a tremendous peak, making the fall even harder.
There's no major Interstates within two hours of the Coal Heritage Highway. In an age when you can hop on a flight and go anywhere The Coal Heritage Highway is a different kind of remote. It's a forgotten kind of remote.
There's no major Interstates within two hours of the Coal Heritage Highway. In an age when you can hop on a flight and go anywhere The Coal Heritage Highway is a different kind of remote. It's a forgotten kind of remote.
Everything lined up perfectly for my drive along the Coal Heritage Highway. The drive started with a sausage gravy and biscuit breakfast at Tudor's Biscuit World. The start of a day doesn't get anymore West Virginia than filling up at Tudor's before hitting the road.
From Tudor's The Coal Heritage Highway journey continued to Bramwell. Bramwell is a quaint town with several ornate, Victorian "mansions" dating back to the town's turn of century boom period when the nearby Pocohantas Coal Mine was generating wealth for the region. In 1938 the Pocohantas Coal Mine became the first Exhibition Coal Mine in the United States - in 1938 coal mines were already being depleted and repurposed. Up until the 1970s visitors could drive their car through the Mine - today the Mine remains open to foot traffic only. The 1930s also started Bramwell's population decline. The town went from a peak population of 1,690 in 1920 to 352 today. The town was quiet except for the roar of ATVs in the distance.
From Tudor's The Coal Heritage Highway journey continued to Bramwell. Bramwell is a quaint town with several ornate, Victorian "mansions" dating back to the town's turn of century boom period when the nearby Pocohantas Coal Mine was generating wealth for the region. In 1938 the Pocohantas Coal Mine became the first Exhibition Coal Mine in the United States - in 1938 coal mines were already being depleted and repurposed. Up until the 1970s visitors could drive their car through the Mine - today the Mine remains open to foot traffic only. The 1930s also started Bramwell's population decline. The town went from a peak population of 1,690 in 1920 to 352 today. The town was quiet except for the roar of ATVs in the distance.
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Welch, McDowell County's county seat is Twenty Five miles north of Bramwell on The Coal Heritage Highway. If there's a near universal truth to finding great small towns while driving through rural America, its to visit a county seat. The county seats are usually the political, cultural, and economical heart of rural counties and typically have a grand County Courthouse surrounded by the County's finest commercial and residential buildings. Welch is no exception. The current population of 1,816 has decreased from a 1950s peak of 6,603, with the surrounding county following a similar downward trajectory from 98,887 residents in the 1950s to 19,141 today. Welch's Courthouse sits atop an incline and it's grandeur reflects a county with a population approaching 100,000 during a time when coal was king; today it guards watch over a figurative ghost town. Welch's eeriness is accentuated given its nine on a Saturday morning and the only people in town are waiting for a bus. The road out of town loops below the Courthouse and cuts through a commercial district with buildings matching the grandeur (and emptiness) of the Courthouse.
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Another twenty miles north is Iaeger, the crown jewel (my designation) of Coal Heritage Highway Towns. Iaeger didn't register any mentions in guidebooks, online or otherwise, which contributed to its "discovery" being the highlight of my trip. At a bend in the river I noticed several connected brick buildings that were being slowly engulfed by ivy. I crossed the river to view the non-ivy engulfed side and the views were as stunning as the ivy-side, although a bit sad. Each building had a closed storefront and even though it was still early morning, the shops wouldn't be opening any time soon. Like Welch Iaeger's population peaked in the 1950s when 1,271 people proudly called this town home. 267 people remain. Before he trip I spent time researching West Virginia ghost towns, trying to find old, abandoned coal towns. Iaeger never appeared in the searches. Presumably because the town still has 267 residents. For all intents and purposes it is a ghost town. And unlike the abandoned coal towns Iaeger cut a beautiful scar across the landscape. I didn't have to pretend to imagine what it was once like - because everything still remained.
Welch and Iaeger, alone, were worth the trip.
Welch and Iaeger, alone, were worth the trip.
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From Iaeger an hour drive north brought me to Matewan, the primary tourist destination along The Coal Heritage Highway. Matewan reached its peak in...no surprise, the 1950s. Since then the population decreased from 989 to 499 - not as much of a decline as Bramwell, Welch, and Iaeger, and it feels that way - there's still activity in the town. There's a few restaurants. There's an active bank. There's a couple of places offering ATV packages. There is a museum dedicated to...the Coal Wars...dun dun dun.
The Coal Wars were a series of disputes, that occasionally turned violent, between coal workers and the mine owners during the 1910s and 1920s. At the time coal works were practically property of the mine owner. The miners were provided a place to live and paid in currency that was only redeemable at the Company-owned store. Miners rented equipment and any costs to replace damaged equipment came out of the miners wages. The conflict reached its peak on May 19, 1920 when gunfire was exchanged between the coal miners and agents from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency in Matewan. The Matewan Massacre, as it came to be known, resulted in the death of the town's Mayor, as well as, several agents from Baldwin-Felts. It brought a mythic status to Matewan's Sheriff, Sid Hatfield, a member of the famed Hatfield clan, who led the successful miner's revolt. Unfortunately the Massacre was nothing more than a bloody footnote in the history of unions. West Virginia mining conditions continued to be horrible until the Federal government formally recognized labor unions with in the 1993 National Industrial Recovery Act.
The 1920 Massacre isn't the town's only experience with hardship. The town's low level location also means it's susceptible to flooding, repeatedly. The town suffered through catastrophic flood in 1957, 1963, 1977, and 1984. In 1992 a flood wall was constructed around the town and is now the town's most identifying feature. All roads into town pass through an opening in the wall.
The Coal Wars were a series of disputes, that occasionally turned violent, between coal workers and the mine owners during the 1910s and 1920s. At the time coal works were practically property of the mine owner. The miners were provided a place to live and paid in currency that was only redeemable at the Company-owned store. Miners rented equipment and any costs to replace damaged equipment came out of the miners wages. The conflict reached its peak on May 19, 1920 when gunfire was exchanged between the coal miners and agents from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency in Matewan. The Matewan Massacre, as it came to be known, resulted in the death of the town's Mayor, as well as, several agents from Baldwin-Felts. It brought a mythic status to Matewan's Sheriff, Sid Hatfield, a member of the famed Hatfield clan, who led the successful miner's revolt. Unfortunately the Massacre was nothing more than a bloody footnote in the history of unions. West Virginia mining conditions continued to be horrible until the Federal government formally recognized labor unions with in the 1993 National Industrial Recovery Act.
The 1920 Massacre isn't the town's only experience with hardship. The town's low level location also means it's susceptible to flooding, repeatedly. The town suffered through catastrophic flood in 1957, 1963, 1977, and 1984. In 1992 a flood wall was constructed around the town and is now the town's most identifying feature. All roads into town pass through an opening in the wall.
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Williamson was the final stop on my Coal Heritage Highway self guided tour. Williamson was by far the largest of the towns I visited with a current population of 2,924 - in decline since the 1950s when the population was 8,624. Williamson's Chamber of Commerce building is made entirely of coal and the nearby Mountaineer Hotel is another must-see destination. John F. Kennedy and Henry Ford are among the famous dignitaries to have spent a night at the hotel. A walk around town and it's easy to see why JFK and Henry Ford passed through - Williamson was awesome in a past life. Today, it's still worth a drive through, however, for what I was looking for, Bramwell, Welch, and Iaeger were better fits.
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Along the Coal Heritage Highway were constant reminders that you were in coal country. I passed a few operating coal mines and a few remnants from prior operations. I also saw several union buildings and clinics warning of the dangers of Black Lung.
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During my drive there were a few people who talked about the excitement and increase in coal related activity. In towns with populations under 1,000 people any pickup is noticeable. Train cars filled with coal were lined up outside Williamson.
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The scenery between the towns was also spectacular. There were plenty of modern day ruins along the Coal Heritage Highway and I was constantly taking quick detours and stopping my car for photos. Former massive schools. Homes losing to nature. It was a great drive.
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I wasn't sure if I'd ever return to the Coal Heritage Highway, however, throughout my drive I kept seeing signs for ATV Crossings. From my breakfast at Tudor's, where a bunch of ATV's were lined up outside, to the ATV's roaring in the distance in Bramwell, to the ATV rentals in Matewan, it's fair to say that the Coal Heritage Highway is the ATV Capital of the World. I need to return. I need to ride an ATV through the Coal Heritage Highway country side.
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