“Hotshot Eastbound Iaeger, WV” by O. Winston Link
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
McDowell County, W.VA. Population:
94,302
Homer Hickam Jr.
Homer Hickam Jr. is an American author, Vietnam veteran and a former NASA engineer. He was raised in Coalwood, W.Va., where he led a group of boys who built and launched rockets. His autobiographical novel, "Rocket Boys: A Memoir," was a #1 New York Times Best Seller and the basis for the film "October Sky."
Drawing by Ralph Warfe
Mural by Tom Acosta
Former President Truman
(Welch Celebrated its 93rd in 2012)
1961
The Muncy family receives
first modern-era food stamps
“I would not be where I now am, I would not have
some of the responsibilities which I now bear,
if it had not been for the people of West Virginia.”
June 20, 1963
Consolidated
Schools
1,200 jobs lost
McDowell County is in the heart of the well-known
Pocahontas coalfield producing metallurgical coal
used in steelmaking around the globe.
Coal used to fire power plants that produce steam for electricity and industrial uses.
Thermal Coal
Metallurgical Coal
Coal used in the process of creating coke necessary for iron and steelmaking.
Investigators searching for $515,000,000in missing assets
37.7%
Poverty rate climbs
highest rate of poverty
for any county in West Virginia
200%
Rise in drug abuse
floods of
2001 & 2002
- Back to Start
- These Roots
The story of McDowell County, West Virginia is the story of America.
Of boom
and bust economies. Of small towns facing changes beyond their control.
And of challenges
and triumphs of every size.
Explore this corner of America through the stories of over 30 residents who live here today.
Hollow is the story of their home.
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