Im not from the south but for some reason my soul always longs for the appalachian area. Love KY,WV & TN. I am a McCoy but not from that area. God Bless the good people of Appalachia
As one who lives in northern Appalachia, I can honestly say that I feel the pain of watching my world disappear before my eyes. It's a deep pain in my heart. The loss of a way of life.
I hear you! As I was writing the poem, I was seeing places like I grew up in, usually nice in the 1950s-60s, not much left today. Piles of rusty metal at mines and overgrown right of ways, vine covered piles of rotting lumber and , in the oldest places, stone pillars that used to support Miner's little, cold houses. But also. cut stone retaining walls, brick walls from the company store, iron bridges across the New River, dams and weirs near power plants and the miles and miles of strip mines, creating whole new ecosystems.
McDowell County has the best people in the world. I grew up, lived and worked there. I grew up in Coalwood and worked for U.S. Steel in Gary. It was a sad time during the 1980's as the mines began to close. I thank the Lord for the 32 years I lived there.
Sad damn sight,billions upon billions of dollars mined out of these hills and not a goddamn thing done for the people..now most of it is in ruins..pisses me off
You can thank Jay Rockefeller, businessman, Governor, and thief . WV has always been looked at as a poor state . That is a misconception. It was one of the most resource rich states in the nation . Now big oil and gas companies will steal what wealth we have left , without giving back to the state . The politicians we elect sell us out every time .
@AB D114 Well, since Obama threw many of these West Virginia coal folks under the bus, what do you propose as a solution? Let's hear that socialist/communist mind of yours at work.
Maybe the remaining people can open their own coal mine. Call it People's Coal. Plenty of coal left to dig out! Oh wait, there's no market for coal anymore. That train has rolled down the tracks. Yes, it is sad. Places like West Virginia may come back (sort of) through tourism and history. They should be trying to preserve some of those buildings but with thousands of drug addicts and huge social costs that probably won't happen. It sure is a beautiful state though. Same story in Upper Michigan after the copper and lumber industry drew down. Dead or near dead towns hanging on with simple folks doing what they can to survive.
Born in Bluefield raised all over McDowell mostly iaeger ,and bradshaw but I've lived in pageton,northfork holler in McDowell bottom, about 200 yards below berwind lake and panther the best people I've ever known is from there that's where I learned to be a man i love it there will never be anywhere take McDowell county's place in my heart that's always been home if I could find work there and the cops and politicians wasn't so crooked I would be there now but I have a wife and 2 kids I need to take care of and I cant do it in jail or jobless so i had to move unfortunately. Either way great video
Michael, I was born and bred West Virginia and let me tell you , no matter where I am in the world, I will ALWAYS and forever be a WEST VIRGINIAN to my heart!!!!!BTW, my Daddy used to work for Eastern Coal from '72 til '87!!!!!
It is too bad that you had to leave West Virginia in pursuit of a better more prosperous life. The Mountain State sorely needs more successful people to come in and invest and redevelop these depressed rural mountain towns
Thanks.. I made this video so others can enjoy the same great outlook on mcdowell county.. as I do.. I was born and raised here in the patch.. and loved every munite of it.. I will soon have more videos of mcdowell county new and old .. hope yall enjoyed
Michael Perry does any one know a guy named Jason ... has a brother named Josh can't remember their last name, probably about mid thirties now....I used to work with em down in Florida for a while until we got into a big fight over Dumb shit, hope their doing alright.
Went there 4wheeling yesterday. First time i ever seen it with all the leaves gone. So many questions to be answered. How do people get grocerys and where do they park? What are those large brick boxes between the staircases for the houses on the road. This was driving though northfork i believe.
Great video, I was born and raised in Clarksburg my family worked in the minds. I live in SC now but I still visit home now and then, I tent camp at Twin Falls & Senca Rocks, I'm 74 yes old and love my state and people. God bless all the Appalachian people, we have so much in common.
Trust me it's pretty shitty when you get off of I64 burnt down house's crackheads and prostitute's everywhere now. It's not a nice place to be in southern WV. Northern WV is pretty nice when you get up around WVU college and that's pretty much it. I hate it here nothing to do except watch S.S.I. bum's ride their car's and 4 wheeler's by the house all day or see them added them nice chicken pins all over their yards that really makes the place look good......
A testimony to engineering then and now. Most of what was built then still stands even after being neglected for 50 years. Stuff built 50 years ago is gone.
People in McDowell County are the salt of the earth, especially those in Gary and War. I pray for their safety and welfare on a daily basis. God bless these people.
Tourism in my town booms. And it includes white water camping hiking rock climbing and our beautiful lakes snow shoe, winterplace. SOme places are low in tourism because there is nothing close to enjoy..OUR BEAUTIFUL NATIOnaL FORESts OUR HISTORIC NEW RIVER Gorge BRIGE our scenic views AND OUR SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY..ANY WAY. GOD BLESS ALL WHO LIVE HERE. WE ARE NOT FOCUSED ON THINGS..HIGH RISES CONGESTED CITIES..CONGESTED TRAFFIC .. AND ALL THAT VIOLENCE.. MAYBE A QUIET SERENE LIFE IS MORE TO OUR NATURE. !! GOD BLESS WEST VIRGINIA ,AND ITS PPL!
I am from Buchanan county, Virginia but my Dad was born in Jolo, McDowell county, West Virginia and my grandmother lived most of her life in Jolo. Many of my people are from there. I always loved visiting my Grandmother and Uncle's family back in the sixties. Great memories! Thank you! I just subscribed to your channel .
From Belle, WV here... sadly at 25 i had to move due to the economy being bad i still think about home all the time though hence why im here watching this.
CeeRock 7513 ikr!! Everyone says this n that....but someone do something! There's someone w some start-up $ somewhere, like Steve Harvey, that need to invest n start a solar panel company, lumber, etc, ...ok the govt don't want coal, then some other form of energy, etc.....r if all citizens could pitch in a little $ n time r whatever they have, start a new age competitive business to get these gr8, hard working ppl back in action to prove what it is! Steve Harvey has the $ n means n Hollywood's backing to do something! All he has to do is look into it n give the effort!!! My good hearted n strong brothers n sisters will take care of the rest!!! Just think bout what could be, n every one write r email r whatever....community aggression would help to end this situation!!! Build wind turbines to power all of WV, idk....just ideas from lil ol me....but get aggressive!
@@carolyn9andthecats653, you made a helluva point there. I mean, there are a lot of actors and actresses who came from West Virginia, just to go to Hollywood and forget all about their roots. You figure with the money they're making, they could send like a couple hundred-million or something to help out.
what a beautiful place have been up and down rt 52 many times on our way to bramwell and northfork and Gilbert to visit Hatfield macoy trails the people are very proud and gracious and can't wait too retire there from the rat race in Virginia where I live,thanks for taking the time to show people what beauty really is
I look and all about me are the ruins of what once was glory, Working Man's glory. Bones of the industry that built this mighty country, the wonder of the world. I see the home of my youth, the good houses, good roads, the forest beat back, making a kind of Civilization. A working Man's civilization The forest has returned and the houses have fallen and the roads overgrown, civilization moved to Ohio to work in a factory. Tears run down my face as my memories are lost to the ever changing ways of Fate, as what was enough for us, the common folk, becomes less and less and only the old folk remain among the weathered and the abandoned. It was the best of their lives, the lives of Miners and Truckers and Loggers and such good people, now bereft of purpose or gone beneath the Earth. It was never really meant to last, it was a game of chance played by rich men, far away one that payed off well, for them, till the seams played out and the Market changed. Company houses, the least the company could do to keep the Workers busy and the money coming in, a company store to profit a bit more off of them, company owned county to provide schools, maybe a clinic, maybe a library. It was enough for Working People. Little businesses came along, little things civilized people needed, tied to the fate of the Mines. Little vices, like a pool hall, a beer garden, movie theater, baseball league, County Fair. Little virtues like a Church, church pick nicks, flower gardens, Glee Club, maybe a Farmer's market. Little things, so important to not feeling like a slave. Little things, melting into the past, being over grown by the forest, forgotten. Boom and Bust, put down no roots, beyond what you need for today, do not dare to love. Do not dare to love the land, do not dare to love the people, do not dare to love the hard work, it will all go away someday and all that will be left are ruins and scars, rust and rot and fading memories, and so it did, the mines went away and the Working Man's glory fades.
Think of the coal counties in WV as a rural Detroit. Without the flat developable land the river and lake commerce and communications and the Canadian gateway. Compared to WV coal counties, Detroit is an economic miracle waiting to happen.
Sadly beautiful! This area is almost identical to the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. The people there suffer from a depressed economy as well.
born raised wayne county wv, i was inmate at leckie center nearly 2 years 1978-79, worked all over there with work detail , even worked where they were building a play ground near a school, i learnt how to use a air cor driller , i saw a lot of the area when out working, i loved it all up thru there . i enjoyed you video , it was good to reflect back 40 years and remember a few friends and time ,, thumbs up
Wow. So beautiful. My mom is from West Virginia, but I never knew anything about the place, except it's a damn poor state. It's so beautiful. More beautiful than eastern Tennessee, and east Tennessee gets plenty of tourism. I'd say West Virginia could have a piece of that pie, if they invested a little in trying to drum up some tourism.
Janet now the governor raised are taxes we might get new roads to his mines they have cabins for tourism but local people are banned from being near them and most of us can't afford to walk the 4 wheeling trails there for tourists lot nicer here when you could grow garden or hunt but have save the deer for the paying tourist and mine owners destroy gardens but sometime where lucky to find cans to turn in for money 5lb bag of taters go a long way couple people planted fruit trees but they cut them down so we have buy there fruit but are governor a good man has billions of dollars all his mines to run and still takes time to coach the little girls basketball team of course most of us have never touched real basketball there was a church brought some balls for kids in town couple years ago they stayed in the trail cabins you them cabins have bathroom in side just like the white house there classy
My mom was from West Virginia too, Minnie, Davy, to be exact. My grandmother lived in Iaeger though, during her later years and we visited her whenever we could and ate it up with a silver spoon to boot! I'll never forget seeing those huge steam locomotives in actual use, back in 1955 when I was 7 years old! I'm not altogether sure that I won't be moving there sometime.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MCDOWELL COUNTY, PANTHER WEST VIRGINIA, MAKES ME THINK OF MY DAD HE WAS A COAL MINER .WORK IN THE MINES FOR 39 YEARS.SOME OF THE MINES STARTED CLOSING IN THE 80s I CALL IT A DOG WHOLE. THESE POOR MINERS WORK THERE SELF TO DEATH HARD LABOR AND THEY HAD TO FIGHT TO GET THERE BENEFITS . THAT'S A DAMN SIGHT. SOME PEOPLE SAYS MINERS HAVE IT MADE. NO THEY DON'T . BY TIME THEY RETIRE IF THEY LIVE LONG ENOUGH. ALL THE MEDICAL PROBLEMS THEY HAVE IT'S AWFUL. SOMETHING YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE FOR SURE. THEY HAVE BREATHING PROBLEMS CAN'T BREATH GOT USE OXYGEN ALL KINDS OF STUFF FOR THERE BREATHING. I KNOW I TOOK CARE MY DAD TILL HE PAST AWAY BOUT THE LAST MONTH OF HIS LIFE HE HAD SPEND IT IN THE HOSPITAL. I WAS WITH HIM EVERY DAY NEVER LEFT HIS SIDE .JUST LONG ENOUGH GO HOME WASH CLOTHES AND GET ME SOME CLEAN ONES TO PUT ON . I TOOK MY SHOWERS AT THE HOSPITAL. AND GET ME SOMETHING TO EAT. AND SOMETIMES I BRING IT TO HIS ROOM AND EAT I SURE CARE AND ♥ MY DAD. THEY MADE HIM COMFORTABLE TILL HE PAST AWAY. ANY ONE THAT'S HAD SOMEONE THAT'S WORKED IN THE MINES KNOW WHAT I'M TAKING BOUT MY HAT IS OFF TO ALL THE MINERS AND THERE FAMILY'S 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Michael, if you ever decide to do another video, could you please put up a picture of Crumpler Elementary School before it burned down?! I used to go there from '81-'87!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍!!!! Memories galore😂😂😂😂😂!!!!!!
We came to the town of Gary thanksgiving of 2018 to do some trail riding and stayed at a wonderful place , the old Gary school , Mar J and Jack were great host, we are coming back Christmas 2018 to stay with them again
West by God Virginia. Yankee by birth, but rebel by choice. Lived in many states, but none have ever been so very kind, simple, and sweet to me as this one. Wild and wonderful, and by the grace of the Good Lord, He'll let me rest here upon my final breath of this mountain air. You never know how deep your roots can grow until you throw them in unknown dirt.. Love.
I have always lived in southern West Virginia but have never been to McDowell County. Several years ago I met someone who lived in a small town in McDowell County called Cucumber.
A very beautiful, mountainous, scenic place where the people are proud, resilient, and friendly. It is very sad that McDowell County is entrenched in visceral poverty. It is time that our federal government start worrying about our poor folks here in the USA and never mind the rest of the world.
It would be nice if they'd help themselves and never vote the GOP back in gov't until they fix their black hearts. Stay in school. Learn a trade. Move to California, make some money, and then buy a cottage and come back to retire. Stay off the opioids. Write about the people and the land. Hanging around ghost towns, getting pregnant at 17, working at Dollar General...it's gonna turn you into a ghost yourself.
Was born there. Moved away I 1969. Been gone for 50 years. Heartbreaking to see McDowell county now. I still recognize many of the places in the video. I can drive to many of the places shown. No reason to do that. It would make me sad. I think. Thanks for the video.
Hi my Dad n all his family's from W.VA. and this song being played at the beginning, AMAZING GRACE was one of his favorite songs. He used to sing it often. He is in Heaven n watching this n hearing this song makes me miss him even more. Thanks for this video.
You showed a picture of Wilco and the first house on the left was where our Granny lived...been there many many times. I really enjoyed watching this!!
Im not from the south but for some reason my soul always longs for the appalachian area. Love KY,WV & TN. I am a McCoy but not from that area. God Bless the good people of Appalachia
Absolutely!!!👍👍👍
Growing up there was good. Too bad what McDowell county has become.
As one who lives in northern Appalachia, I can honestly say that I feel the pain of watching my world disappear before my eyes. It's a deep pain in my heart. The loss of a way of life.
Mercer co. Feels u brother
😢❤😢
God Bless U😢
I hear you! As I was writing the poem, I was seeing places like I grew up in, usually nice in the 1950s-60s, not much left today. Piles of rusty metal at mines and overgrown right of ways, vine covered piles of rotting lumber and , in the oldest places, stone pillars that used to support Miner's little, cold houses. But also. cut stone retaining walls, brick walls from the company store, iron bridges across the New River, dams and weirs near power plants and the miles and miles of strip mines, creating whole new ecosystems.
McDowell County has the best people in the world. I grew up, lived and worked there. I grew up in Coalwood and worked for U.S. Steel in Gary. It was a sad time during the 1980's as the mines began to close. I thank the Lord for the 32 years I lived there.
Sad damn sight,billions upon billions of dollars mined out of these hills and not a goddamn thing done for the people..now most of it is in ruins..pisses me off
You can thank Jay Rockefeller, businessman, Governor, and thief .
WV has always been looked at as a poor state . That is a misconception. It was one of the most resource rich states in the nation . Now big oil and gas companies will steal what wealth we have left , without giving back to the state . The politicians we elect sell us out every time .
@AB D114 what do you prefer..American capitalism or Cuba style Communism??
@AB D114 Well, since Obama threw many of these West Virginia coal folks under the bus, what do you propose as a solution? Let's hear that socialist/communist mind of yours at work.
Maybe the remaining people can open their own coal mine. Call it People's Coal. Plenty of coal left to dig out! Oh wait, there's no market for coal anymore. That train has rolled down the tracks. Yes, it is sad. Places like West Virginia may come back (sort of) through tourism and history. They should be trying to preserve some of those buildings but with thousands of drug addicts and huge social costs that probably won't happen. It sure is a beautiful state though. Same story in Upper Michigan after the copper and lumber industry drew down. Dead or near dead towns hanging on with simple folks doing what they can to survive.
TRUMP SURE MADE IT GRATE AGAIN DIDN'T HE WHAT A DAMN JOKE
beautiful country .... nice music!
Born in Bluefield raised all over McDowell mostly iaeger ,and bradshaw but I've lived in pageton,northfork holler in McDowell bottom, about 200 yards below berwind lake and panther the best people I've ever known is from there that's where I learned to be a man i love it there will never be anywhere take McDowell county's place in my heart that's always been home if I could find work there and the cops and politicians wasn't so crooked I would be there now but I have a wife and 2 kids I need to take care of and I cant do it in jail or jobless so i had to move unfortunately. Either way great video
What part of McDowell bottom did you live in? I've been here my whole life
Proud to be from McDowell county 😊
WOW !
Michael, I was born and bred West Virginia and let me tell you , no matter where I am in the world, I will ALWAYS and forever be a WEST VIRGINIAN to my heart!!!!!BTW, my Daddy used to work for Eastern Coal from '72 til '87!!!!!
that's awesome the mountains are my home and always will be... thatks for commenting and plz subscribe... more to come
It is too bad that you had to leave West Virginia in pursuit of a better more prosperous life. The Mountain State sorely needs more successful people to come in and invest and redevelop these depressed rural mountain towns
Nice!
Robert Preskop i was thinking the same !it's so great why did he leave lmao
val jean when you are born here its coal mines moonshine or move on down the line. and there are no more mines
Thanks.. I made this video so others can enjoy the same great outlook on mcdowell county.. as I do.. I was born and raised here in the patch.. and loved every munite of it.. I will soon have more videos of mcdowell county new and old .. hope yall enjoyed
I'm miss it.
Michael Perry does any one know a guy named Jason ... has a brother named Josh can't remember their last name, probably about mid thirties now....I used to work with em down in Florida for a while until we got into a big fight over Dumb shit, hope their doing alright.
their's so many ppl named jason and josh and the county is so big that im unsure who it would be
Went there 4wheeling yesterday. First time i ever seen it with all the leaves gone. So many questions to be answered. How do people get grocerys and where do they park? What are those large brick boxes between the staircases for the houses on the road. This was driving though northfork i believe.
Its like time stopped there.
Great video, I was born and raised in Clarksburg my family worked in the minds. I live in SC now but I still visit home now and then, I tent camp at Twin Falls & Senca Rocks, I'm 74 yes old and love my state and people. God bless all the Appalachian people, we have so much in common.
Thank you very much for sharing. Lots of memories
So beautiful...and sad! I'm still here after 63 years. Graduated from Welch High School in 1977. Lord, the changes I've seen! Breaks my heart.
You live there !?
@@davidjanson7982 I live here by choice. Not because I have to. I live a rural life in the mountains. Excellent way to avoid stereotyping assholes.
Great video, but I'm not sure why the photos of the Cass Scenic Railway, which is in a totally different part of the state.
I drive through West Virginia very often on I64 from Virginia to Kentucky.
It's some of the most beautiful country in the USA.
THE most beautiful.
SW VIRGINIA isn’t too shabby either
Trust me it's pretty shitty when you get off of I64 burnt down house's crackheads and prostitute's everywhere now. It's not a nice place to be in southern WV. Northern WV is pretty nice when you get up around WVU college and that's pretty much it. I hate it here nothing to do except watch S.S.I. bum's ride their car's and 4 wheeler's by the house all day or see them added them nice chicken pins all over their yards that really makes the place look good......
A testimony to engineering then and now. Most of what was built then still stands even after being neglected for 50 years. Stuff built 50 years ago is gone.
People in McDowell County are the salt of the earth, especially those in Gary and War. I pray for their safety and welfare on a daily basis. God bless these people.
Be sure to give this video a thums
up
Michael Perry you need to do a video of Jolo West Virginia that's where my daddy was born and raised.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE PICTURE AT 4:05 WAS TAKEN? IT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN MAYBEURY!
Terrence King looked liked northfork to me.
Thumbs up
American lands are so beautiful
Thank You! Very beautiful land and history
great pictures, good music, and great job.
Thank you for posting, my family are all from KY and West Virginia. Beautiful country it is and I would move back in a New York minute.
Thank you for sharing. Beautiful and God Bless all.
Tourism in my town booms. And it includes white water camping hiking rock climbing and our beautiful lakes snow shoe, winterplace. SOme places are low in tourism because there is nothing close to enjoy..OUR BEAUTIFUL NATIOnaL FORESts OUR HISTORIC NEW RIVER Gorge BRIGE our scenic views AND OUR SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY..ANY WAY. GOD BLESS ALL WHO LIVE HERE. WE ARE NOT FOCUSED ON THINGS..HIGH RISES CONGESTED CITIES..CONGESTED TRAFFIC .. AND ALL THAT VIOLENCE..
MAYBE A QUIET SERENE LIFE IS MORE TO OUR NATURE. !! GOD BLESS WEST VIRGINIA ,AND ITS PPL!
Agreed.......
I am from Buchanan county, Virginia but my Dad was born in Jolo, McDowell county, West Virginia and my grandmother lived most of her life in Jolo. Many of my people are from there. I always loved visiting my Grandmother and Uncle's family back in the sixties. Great memories! Thank you! I just subscribed to your channel .
Subbed your channel. Great video. I’m a Bluefield man myself. 👍👍
Beautiful but poor beyond belief like most places in the world. Keep it. Dad left McDowell County in the 50's and we never looked back.
From Belle, WV here... sadly at 25 i had to move due to the economy being bad i still think about home all the time though hence why im here watching this.
I'm cryin' on the inside right now😢😢😢!!!!!
i no what ya mean not a day goes by that i dont think of my home
CeeRock 7513 ikr!! Everyone says this n that....but someone do something! There's someone w some start-up $ somewhere, like Steve Harvey, that need to invest n start a solar panel company, lumber, etc, ...ok the govt don't want coal, then some other form of energy, etc.....r if all citizens could pitch in a little $ n time r whatever they have, start a new age competitive business to get these gr8, hard working ppl back in action to prove what it is! Steve Harvey has the $ n means n Hollywood's backing to do something! All he has to do is look into it n give the effort!!! My good hearted n strong brothers n sisters will take care of the rest!!! Just think bout what could be, n every one write r email r whatever....community aggression would help to end this situation!!! Build wind turbines to power all of WV, idk....just ideas from lil ol me....but get aggressive!
@@carolyn9andthecats653, you made a helluva point there. I mean, there are a lot of actors and actresses who came from West Virginia, just to go to Hollywood and forget all about their roots.
You figure with the money they're making, they could send like a couple hundred-million or something to help out.
You really made my day, Michael!!!! Thanks for givin' me so many memories😢😢😢😢👍👍👍👍!!!!!!
what a beautiful place have been up and down rt 52 many times on our way to bramwell and northfork and Gilbert to visit Hatfield macoy trails the people are very proud and gracious and can't wait too retire there from the rat race in Virginia where I live,thanks for taking the time to show people what beauty really is
McDowell county WV shows pictures of Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocahontas county WV?
I look and all about me are the ruins of what once was glory,
Working Man's glory.
Bones of the industry that built this mighty country,
the wonder of the world.
I see the home of my youth, the good houses, good roads, the forest beat back,
making a kind of Civilization.
A working Man's civilization
The forest has returned and the houses have fallen and the roads overgrown,
civilization moved to Ohio to work in a factory.
Tears run down my face as my memories are lost to the ever changing ways of Fate,
as what was enough for us, the common folk, becomes less and less
and only the old folk remain among the weathered and the abandoned.
It was the best of their lives, the lives of Miners and Truckers and Loggers and such
good people, now bereft of purpose or gone beneath the Earth.
It was never really meant to last, it was a game of chance played by rich men, far away
one that payed off well, for them, till the seams played out and the Market changed.
Company houses, the least the company could do to keep the Workers busy and the money coming in,
a company store to profit a bit more off of them,
company owned county to provide schools, maybe a clinic, maybe a library.
It was enough for Working People.
Little businesses came along, little things civilized people needed, tied to the fate of the Mines.
Little vices, like a pool hall, a beer garden, movie theater, baseball league, County Fair.
Little virtues like a Church, church pick nicks, flower gardens, Glee Club, maybe a Farmer's market.
Little things, so important to not feeling like a slave.
Little things, melting into the past, being over grown by the forest, forgotten.
Boom and Bust, put down no roots, beyond what you need for today, do not dare to love.
Do not dare to love the land, do not dare to love the people, do not dare to love the hard work,
it will all go away someday
and all that will be left are ruins and scars, rust and rot and fading memories,
and so it did, the mines went away and the Working Man's glory fades.
Sad and beautiful.
Thanks everone for all the views lets try to reach 10 thousand it wouild mean a great deal to me and more videos are comind plz subscride
Isn't this where Homer Hickam and the Rocket Boys are from?
Think of the coal counties in WV as a rural Detroit. Without the flat developable land the river and lake commerce and communications and the Canadian gateway. Compared to WV coal counties, Detroit is an economic miracle waiting to happen.
Sadly beautiful! This area is almost identical to the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. The people there suffer from a depressed economy as well.
My Dad worked the mines of Western Pennsylvania back in the 60's and early 70's .he passed away from Blacklung January of 88 at age 49
So beautiful. I'd love to live there.
lovely people always treated well matt from canada
It's a sad song that has been sung before an old Irish dirge. It will all be gone in time washed clean of itself, the memories all pass away.🙋❤
born raised wayne county wv, i was inmate at leckie center nearly 2 years 1978-79, worked all over there with work detail , even worked where they were building a play ground near a school, i learnt how to use a air cor driller , i saw a lot of the area when out working, i loved it all up thru there . i enjoyed you video , it was good to reflect back 40 years and remember a few friends and time ,, thumbs up
McDowell County once had a population of almost 100,000, now it is less than 17,000
So many videos of McDowell County. Not only county in W.Va affected by coal. What about other counties in W.Va?
Like going back in time. I want to live there.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL~~~YET, SO SAD
Almost Heaven.
I'm from Horse Shoe Run WV up in Preston County right in the corner next to Tucker County and Garrett County MD.
Wow. So beautiful. My mom is from West Virginia, but I never knew anything about the place, except it's a damn poor state. It's so beautiful. More beautiful than eastern Tennessee, and east Tennessee gets plenty of tourism. I'd say West Virginia could have a piece of that pie, if they invested a little in trying to drum up some tourism.
Janet now the governor raised are taxes we might get new roads to his mines they have cabins for tourism but local people are banned from being near them and most of us can't afford to walk the 4 wheeling trails there for tourists lot nicer here when you could grow garden or hunt but have save the deer for the paying tourist and mine owners destroy gardens but sometime where lucky to find cans to turn in for money 5lb bag of taters go a long way couple people planted fruit trees but they cut them down so we have buy there fruit but are governor a good man has billions of dollars all his mines to run and still takes time to coach the little girls basketball team of course most of us have never touched real basketball there was a church brought some balls for kids in town couple years ago they stayed in the trail cabins you them cabins have bathroom in side just like the white house there classy
Tourism alone will not revitalize these areas to their former prosperous glory. Tourism is a mostly low wage dead end industry.
My mom was from West Virginia too, Minnie, Davy, to be exact. My grandmother lived in Iaeger though, during her later years and we visited her whenever we could and ate it up with a silver spoon to boot!
I'll never forget seeing those huge steam locomotives in actual use, back in 1955 when I was 7 years old!
I'm not altogether sure that I won't be moving there sometime.
Born in Mabscott, WV in 1951. I did many coal mining projects i WV. most interesting pictures without any descriptions.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MCDOWELL COUNTY, PANTHER WEST VIRGINIA, MAKES ME THINK OF MY DAD HE WAS A COAL MINER .WORK IN THE MINES FOR 39 YEARS.SOME OF THE MINES STARTED CLOSING IN THE 80s
I CALL IT A DOG WHOLE. THESE POOR MINERS WORK THERE SELF TO DEATH HARD LABOR AND THEY HAD TO FIGHT TO GET THERE BENEFITS . THAT'S A DAMN SIGHT. SOME PEOPLE SAYS MINERS HAVE IT MADE. NO THEY DON'T . BY TIME THEY RETIRE IF THEY LIVE LONG ENOUGH. ALL THE MEDICAL PROBLEMS THEY HAVE IT'S AWFUL. SOMETHING YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE FOR SURE. THEY HAVE BREATHING PROBLEMS CAN'T BREATH GOT USE OXYGEN ALL KINDS OF STUFF FOR THERE BREATHING. I KNOW I TOOK CARE MY DAD TILL HE PAST AWAY BOUT THE LAST MONTH OF HIS LIFE HE HAD SPEND IT IN THE HOSPITAL. I WAS WITH HIM EVERY DAY NEVER LEFT HIS SIDE .JUST LONG ENOUGH GO HOME WASH CLOTHES AND GET ME SOME CLEAN ONES TO PUT ON . I TOOK MY SHOWERS AT THE HOSPITAL. AND GET ME SOMETHING TO EAT. AND SOMETIMES I BRING IT TO HIS ROOM AND EAT I SURE CARE AND ♥ MY DAD. THEY MADE HIM COMFORTABLE TILL HE PAST AWAY. ANY ONE THAT'S HAD SOMEONE THAT'S WORKED IN THE MINES KNOW WHAT I'M TAKING BOUT MY HAT IS OFF TO ALL THE MINERS AND THERE FAMILY'S 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Im from HUNTINGTON. knocked around in War, Bradshaw and Maetwan
Live in bluefield wv and my husband has children who live down that way it's sad to see this .
West By God Virginia!!!
If we hadn't gotten flooded out in 1957 and moved, my life could have been very different.
Very nice people there. I feel sorry for hardly any jobs for them
Thanks for this magnificent video
this is Michael perry on my friends account ... that pic at 4:05 is taken in keystone WV from what I'm told ...
Michael, if you ever decide to do another video, could you please put up a picture of Crumpler Elementary School before it burned down?! I used to go there from '81-'87!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍!!!! Memories galore😂😂😂😂😂!!!!!!
We came to the town of Gary thanksgiving of 2018 to do some trail riding and stayed at a wonderful place , the old Gary school , Mar J and Jack were great host, we are coming back Christmas 2018 to stay with them again
West by God Virginia.
Yankee by birth, but rebel by choice.
Lived in many states, but none have ever been so very kind, simple, and sweet to me as this one.
Wild and wonderful, and by the grace of the Good Lord, He'll let me rest here upon my final breath of this mountain air.
You never know how deep your roots can grow until you throw them in unknown dirt..
Love.
My daddy was born in lacking wva n raised in anawalt wva n my momma was born n raised in webster springs wva
Thanks living in SC now and its great to see home
My buddy Timmy C. Lives up on Elk horn Mt. Beautiful country!
Breutiful
Welch JR/ High School at 2:24. What memories.
Welch maroon Wave, 60s 🏈 was 👑 😊 days, Davy W.va.
McDowell County so beautiful. Not quite as badly but Southern Illinois really hurting since most of the coal mining jobs are gone.
Simple life is the best
Cities like welch and iaeger have so much history and should be preserved not just torn down and forgotten about
This is where I grew up. Miss my home.
Here I come!
I grew up in Ashland w.v.
Jackie Fields i have lived their since i was 9 am im 32 now i miss it their
Me too!!!!!!
Michael Perry i grew up in panther wv still live in wv mercer co .
Hey, hazel! How you doin'?!
I'm tryna find out about a little settlement back in the days called barreshia hollow
I have always lived in southern West Virginia but have never been to McDowell County. Several years ago I met someone who lived in a small town in McDowell County called Cucumber.
I miss my home so very much.. :(
Just as life should be gorgeous,tranquil....would love to move there....met people there...friendly ......spectacular surroundings
Beth Leonard I think anyone who moves to a place like this will turn suicidal eventually
I got fam down there and they tell stories of being persecuted for saying they were Indians back in the past
Love my wv
You need to make a video of old tom sparks cemetery. Most of may smoky is buried there. The Waldrons and Blankenship
I have always lived in West Virginia but have never been to McDowell County.
My Mom was born and raised there. Years before she passed away, she would sometimes, I wouldn't ever come back here.
Lived in Thorpe, West VA. My father worked in #5 holler. Would like to see Thorpe as it is now.
Born in 1946 Maybury in Mcdowell county
What L.A. will look like by 2030 if Liberal Democrats are kept in charge of that state.
Grew up and lived in coalwood the first fifteen years of my life
beautiful
A very beautiful, mountainous, scenic place where the people are proud, resilient, and friendly. It is very sad that McDowell County is entrenched in visceral poverty. It is time that our federal government start worrying about our poor folks here in the USA and never mind the rest of the world.
It would be nice if they'd help themselves and never vote the GOP back in gov't until they fix their black hearts. Stay in school. Learn a trade. Move to California, make some money, and then buy a cottage and come back to retire. Stay off the opioids. Write about the people and the land. Hanging around ghost towns, getting pregnant at 17, working at Dollar General...it's gonna turn you into a ghost yourself.
Craig Hogan wish was that ez
The UMWA killed the County.
michael has passed away he passed 3 yeara ago
i,m from superior it listed aghost town now but moved to switchback sure missed it i live ind.now
rose morton -- Superior. My grannyived there for a long time. My mom worked in that tiny post office years ago when it was still open
me too i love this county spencer curve
Was born there. Moved away I 1969. Been gone for 50 years. Heartbreaking to see McDowell county now.
I still recognize many of the places in the video. I can drive to many of the places shown.
No reason to do that. It would make me sad. I think. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Michael. Very nice.
home
Hi my Dad n all his family's from W.VA. and this song being played at the beginning, AMAZING GRACE was one of his favorite songs. He used to sing it often. He is in Heaven n watching this n hearing this song makes me miss him even more. Thanks for this video.
Sup from Kentucky😊
We are related to the Hatfield's.
You showed a picture of Wilco and the first house on the left was where our Granny lived...been there many many times. I really enjoyed watching this!!
Look at the first emblem and map of America from the 1500s, look at the ppl they described as americans...
I’m from Jolo WV
Great job on this video
Now I’m homesick