Appalachian History

Hemlock, WV was once a booming town that boasted two school houses, a post office and a general store. Today, only a few homes and the Mt. Olive United Methodist Church remain. According to Hemlock area resident Stacy Hinkle, the rough winter weather may have been why many Hemlock natives moved away. “It was pretty [...]

“We were brought up the Christian way: to love everyone and to do no harm to anyone. My parents participated in all aspects of community life. My mother served as the town’s midwife, ushering all the neighbors’ children into the world. The Hogans, who lived next door, had three sons. Two of their sons, Wesley [...]

On January 10, 1928 Minnie Buckingham Harper (R-McDowell) was appointed to succeed her late husband in the West Virginia House of Delegates, becoming the first African-American woman to serve in a legislative body in the United States. Harper was appointed by Governor Howard Gore to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, [...]

One man, Louie Wohinc, dominated central WV’s glass industry in the 1920s and 1930s. At their height, his factories produced 144,000 pieces of glass every 24 hours – all by hand! The advantages of locally available raw material, inexpensive heating fuels, and readily available labor first attracted the glass industry to central West Virginia in [...]

Listen to Kelly Harrell play “I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again” When I was a single girl, I went dressed very fine, Now I am married and have a drunken man to mind. Oh, I wish I were a single girl again. When I was a single girl I done as I pleased; [...]