McDowell County West Virginia – Page 3

War Junior High School / War High School — War, West Virginia

Before I get started on this blog entry which will cover the old War Junior High School / War High School and its adjacent gymnasium and its ultimate demise I need to explain why this school and building is so important to me. Back in 2008 when I first stumbled upon McDowell County almost by mistake I was taken aback by the amount of abandoned buildings and the amount of history that was disappearing from the communities in the county. I didnt visit the city of War until the spring of 2009. On that visit, I went inside of my first abandoned school as a photographer / photo journalist. That school is discussed below. I hope you all enjoy and if anyone is reading this with more information on this building please comment or message me.

During my first trip through McDowell County in the spring of 2008 I got side tracked and didn’t make it to the city of War or Coalwood for that matter. When I got home I started studying maps and realized I missed a good part of the coal mining history along the State Route 16 corridor including War, Coalwood and Caretta.

I knew I had to go back and that following year I did. Driving through War I saw many interesting sights.

The old war motel, the old War Jail….and then on the western side of town along the banks of the banks of the tug fork river I noticed a magnificent sprawling abandoned school complex of two buildings.

I later identified that building as War Junior High School.

Up to this point I was very inexperienced in exploring abandoned buildings and still developing my photography skills so these pictures from 2009 aren’t my best.

Im still not entirely sure as to when war Junior High School closed but my instincts tell me probably sometime around 2002-2005…..possibly it was one of the schools damaged beyond repair in the floods that devastated the entire county in 2002.

At the time of this trip I was still coming to grips with the reality that I was an adrenaline junkie and I had a thirst to explore abandoned buildings. I was still not that adventurous and only made it inside the former gymnasium .

and only snapped one picture at that.

Flash forward to the summer of 2013. I took an entire day out of my vacation and while on my way to the northeast I side tripped through McDowell County. My first stop was War Junior High School.

I had become fascinated with this area by then and had developed a knack for doing a little light trespassing and adventure photography.

On this visit, which would be the last time I would see the magnificent buildings standing as they were, I made it inside the main hallway, several classrooms and even upstairs to more classrooms. I also revisited the gymnasium.

On this trip I was amazed at how much vandalizm and natural aging and deterioration had occurred at both buildings. The doors were wide open on the main building and the gym and vandals had taken advantage of that set up.

Notice the difference in this picture and the almost same shot that I had taken in 2009. The building had fallen on hard times and I knew its days were numbered.

Sadly when I was preparing for my excursion to McDowell County earlier this month a friend whom I have made who is a native of War informed me that the school had been demolished and nothing remained of the building. I still had to see it myself

Sadly, he was correct and I cant help but feel sad when I look at the vacant lot where the three story school and gymnasium once stood so proudly.

Upon returning home and doing a little research to write this article I realized that there is very little in the way of information available about this school or building online. One interesting fact that I did lear is that this building was not originally a Junior High School

DSCF7071 — Only a hint of the former school’s foundation remains.

This school was originally opened as War High School in 1923 by the Big Creek District Board of Education. In the early 1930s the Big Creek Board of Education noted the need for a consolidated central high school, thus Big Creek High School, from “October Sky” fame was opened in 1932 and War High School became known as War Junior High School

Today the City of War and the surrounding communities are served by a new ultra modern sprawling one story school known as Southside K-8 School. I know progress is good, and the new school offers a ton of opportunities for students, but I hope at least through my writings and photos something of War Junior High School will be preserved.

Caretta, West Virginia

Continuing with my focus on McDowell County In this entry I will cover the community of Caretta. In the film “October Sky” Caretta is frequently mentioned as it is the main community between Coalwood and War on state route 16. In its time Caretta was a major coal camp in McDowell County. The Post Office opened in 1905, followed by a school in 1907. In 1922 the operations at Caretta were sold to Consolidated Coal Company and the first mine shaft was constructed in 1924. At least 200 houses were constructed at Caretta along with a 22 room boarding house. The Caretta school seen in pictures below was constructed in 1925, at the time it was only for white children. In 1947 the company and town was sold to a group of industrialists from Youngstown, Ohio that would become the Olga Coal Company.

Pictured above is the Carter Coal Company Store, also known as Consolidation Coal Company Store. It was built about 1912, and is a one-story brick commercial building on a stone foundation. It has a gable roof. The building was originally “T”-shaped, but wood frame additions built in 1922, spread the plan to an “L.” . It ceased operating as a post office in August 2005. Caretta’s zip code was 24982.

Next door to the Company Store is the Caretta United Methodist Church.

and across the street is the old Caretta school. Caretta Elementary closed in 1985. Students were sent to Coalwood, only to have Coalwood close in 1986. The school is now home to a local community group known as Big Creek People in Action.

Paynesville, West Virginia 24873

Traveling northeast on state route 83 just as you cross into McDowell County and West Virginia, the first community you come to atop the mountain is Paynesville.

At 31 miles from the countyseat of Welch, and at an elevation of 2,346 feet, Paynesville is one of the most remote and ruggedly beautiful areas of McDowell County.

Elkhorn High School / Switchback Elementary School — Switchback, West Virginia

On a cold early spring morning in 2008 I somehow found myself in McDowell County, West Virginia on one of my random drives. At this time in my life I was just beginning to develop a love and interest in photography and documenting communities and disappearing parts of those communities. I felt as though I had found a treasure trove of goodies as I traveled through McDowell County. One of the most striking and memorable structures that I found on that day was the old Switchback Elementary School located on the eastern end of McDowell County.

Switchback Elemenrary as it was in April 2008.

At that point in my life I hadnt developed a huge interest in exploring abandoned buildings or documenting abandoned buildings, but I credit McDowell County and especially this school in nurturing and helping me discover this passion which has now developed into one of my favorite pastimes. Some people like to go to the ocean on vacation, I like to explore dilapidated and abandoned buildings.

Switchback Elementary as it was on October 10, 2015

This building has stuck with me over the past 7 years. I keep coming back to it and everytime I travel through this part of the country I have to travel down US 52 and see if the building is still standing. I had to research and find out more about Switchback and the school that had intrigued me so much.

In 2013 a guy by the name of Travis Dewitz, who much like me is an outsider, someone who isnt from McDowell County or West Virginia posted a blog entry on his photography website of his adventures exploring an abandoned school by the name of Elkhorn High School. Just so happened Elkhorn HIgh School looked exactly like Switchback Elementary, and it is a very unique building. Could Elkhorn High and Switchback Elemenrary be one in the same? Turns out yes, this was and is a practice commonly done when school districts are faced with consolidation, schools are often re purposed for other uses within the district. This just added fuel to my fire. His pictures were amazing and the story he shared about the school really had me amped up to know more.

That following summer I made a special side trip while on a trip to Philadelphia for the sole purpose of trying to get inside the old school at Switchback and it was a success.

the school was still largely intact and still in fairly sound shape.

The detached gymnasium was another story. The roof had fallen in by that point in time

Flashforward to October of 2015 and McDowell County has a new initiative to clear the land of abandoned and blighted structures. The old school at Switchback definitely fits that bill and I am about 90% sure the school’s days are numbered. The schools at War have already fallen to the wrecking ball. I just had to see the building one more time.

Before I go any further I guess its best for me to share the history of this building as it is listed on the alumni association website.

n 1922, local citizens passed a bond issue for the construction of a separate Elkhorn District High School at Switchback. Although the building program was launched in early spring, the school was not finished in time for the opening of school September 18, 1922. Students met in crowded quarters at Elkhorn Grade School. After the Christmas Holidays, January 8, 1923,
168 students enrolled in the new Elkhorn District High School (EDHS).

At its opening, EDHS was well equipped in all departments including the library, music and home economics departments, manual training, chemistry and in sports, baseball and football.
The following year, the campus was landscaped by Elkhorn students from funds donated by James Elwood Jones.

Under the direction of Principal L. B Graybeal, the first EHS commencement was held Friday, June 8, 1923. Seven students were graduated, five girls and two boys.

In 1924, EDHS saw the construction of its gymnasium, tennis courts and indoor swimming pool. A teachers club and boarding house were also on the grounds. It is believed that Elkhorn had the first and maybe only such board-club house for their teachers.

Although Elkhorn High School was a small school, its students won many honors in competitions, often winning first place.

At the end of the 1953 school year, Elkhorn High School was closed and was co-joined with Northfork High School, again becoming Northfork-Elkhorn High School.

The building would continue serving the students of Eastern McDowell County as an Elementary School for the next 50 plus years, until the end of the 2003-04 school year.

Today the Switchback Elementary sign still hangs on the side of the building, but the letters are faded and the paint is peeling.

The windows and doors are broken out and the building is left unsecured.

….and weeds and shrubs have taken over a great part of the massive three story structure.

Northfork High School –McDowell County, West Virginia

As you drive into Northfork, West Virginia along US 52 between Welch and Bluefield in eastern McDowell County you will notice a very prominent sign proclaiming it has the Basketball Capital of the United States.

And for Good Reason….13 state championships over the course of less than 25 years. That is very impressive and no doubt legendary in the hills of West Virginia. So what became of Northfork High School, the home of the Demons?

Over the past 60 years McDowell County has lost nearly 80% of its population dropping from nearly 99,000 people in 1950 to 20,448 in 2014. In 1985 in a move to save money in a tight budget the McDowell County Board of Education voted to consolidate Northfork High school with Mt View High School 13 Miles away in Welch.

However, this did not happen without a fight. The residents of Northfork even went so far as to hire a lawyer to fight this school closing. The fight went all the way to the state Supreme Court which eventually sided with the school board, and the home of the blue demons was converted to a middle school and renamed Northfork Middle School.

t served as the middle school from 1985 until 2002, when the second of two floods within 10 months exposed asbestos and damaged the building. Northfork Middle School was then closed and their students were dispersed to area schools.

There are currently plans and contracts in place to begin demolition on the old school. As it stands today it is in very poor condition and is a safety, health and fire hazard to the community.

The ceiling has fallen in in most of the building.

and in many areas so has the floor.

According to online sources much of the contents of this school and the structure itself were damaged beyond repair during floods in 2002. Flooding was so severe that year in McDowell County that school officials had to cut the school year short due to so many structures being damaged.

There is currently an initiative in McDowell County going on to demolish dilapidated and abandoned structures in the county to improve the appearance of the area.

The old Northfork High School is near the top of the list and is scheduled to be demolished soon.

This is looking from the main wing of the building toward the gymnasium.

Trees and weeds have nearly taken over the entrance to the gym at this point.

Ive noticed that in McDowell County this was their “go to” font to have the name of the building engraved in….Jolo and Gary schools were both engraved in the same font.

World War Memorial — Kimball, West Virginia

Driving east on US 52 as you leave Welch and drive towards Bluefield you stumble across several small towns and communities. Each of these communities are unique and different. None of the towns feature a building as grand as the World War Memorial in Kimball. The building sticks out like a sore thumb seeing as how Kimball is all of two or three businesses and several rows of houses but yet it still looks as if it belongs up on that hillside in Kimball right next to US 52.

Also known as the Kimball War Memorial Building, stands on a hill in Kimball. Designed in 1927 by architect Hassal T Hicks from nearby Welch, the memorial was dedicated February 11, 1928 to African-American veterans of World War I. It was the first such memorial to African Americans in the United States.

As the coal industry which fueled the area’s economy began to wane in the 1950s and 60s, the memorial received less and less money and maintenance, becoming increasingly derelict. The War Memorial was abandoned and an arsonist set fire to the building in 1991, leaving only the exterior walls.

The memorial building was listed while still a ruin on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Finally spearheaded by local activists funding was found and the memorial was restored. Today the building is restored to its former glory and is open for business.

Gary District High School — Gary, West Virginia

Sherman Cahal, the guy who runs abandonedonline.net has really been a huge inspiration to me in my exploration and honestly I have spent hours upon hours studying his work and his explorations. The man truly has opened me up to a whole new side of who I am and helped me discovered a big passion I never even knew i had.

His entry from 2013 covering the remains of Gary District High School in McDowell, West Virginia is one such piece that inspired me. Not just the photographs, but the story. The building and entire community is really such an icon of the history and way of life in central Appalachia.

As you drive up to Gary District Grade and High School you notice the attention to detail the original architects paid to this building and it’s design.

Located on what I would call a back street in what is now a back neighborhood, the only close neighbor is a church next door leaving the building vulnerable to vandals.

Much of the history of Gary District Grade and High School is what I learned from Sherman’s blog so I must give credit where credit is due, so much of what you read in the coming paragraphs is information I learned from him and I am simply passing on.

The first Gary District High School, which was the high school for black children was constructed in 1913 ina wooden framed building. In 1925 that building burned and this new brick building was constructed at a cost of $36,000. The new 2 story brick building had 10 classrooms a gymnasium and a Library. At the time there were 437 black children enrolled at the school and that population was climbing rapidly. In 1927/28 a new elementary / grade school was constructed adjacent to the high school as seen in the photo below.

By September 1938 enrollment had increased to 650 students.

In 1954 Gary District Schools had an enrollment of 716.

In the fall of 1954 the waves of de-segregation began to make their way to the hills of McDowell County and southern West Virginia. At the beginning of the school year Gary District students were given the option to remain at Gary District or transfer to a neighboring school such as Gary High School. Most students remained at Gary District Graded and High School. In September of 1965 due to falling enrollment all of the high school students at Gary District High was transferred to Gary High School and Gary District High ceased to exist.

The High School was then converted into an elementary school which would remain in operation until 1981 when the entire complex was closed.

And although I cant find factual data or a reference to it being used after the early 1980s I do have proof that there were computers in the building after 1991 because there are several ,monitors manufactured in 1991 in one of the classrooms.

At one time in history Gary, West Virginia was the largest coal camp in the world according to some (Others would argue that Lynch, Kentucky was the largest) Both of which were owned by US Steel. At its peak Gary was home to nearly 15,000 residents.

Today Gary is home to around 900 residents.

Mt Zion United Methodist Church — Coalwood, West Virginia

This weekend while my friend Donny and I were in Coalwood we drove to near where we thought was the end of Coalwood and came across this quaint little church on the hill.

That night when I got home and was looking through the literally hundreds of pictures I took that day while touring McDowell County this picture kept sticking out in my mind. I wanted to know more. What was the story of this church?

According to Homer Hickam’s Memoir “Rocket Boys” and pictures from http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com a website maintained by a former resident of Coalwood I can identify this church as Mudhole Church later called Mt Zion United Methodist Church. This was Reverend Richard’s church! Homer spoke of the church and Reverend Richard in his memoir as quoted below:

At the entrance to Mudhole was a tiny wooden church presided over by the Reverend “Little” Richard. He was dubbed “Little” because of his resemblance to the soul singer. Nobody up Mudhole Hollow subscribed to the paper, but whenever I had an extra one, I always left it at the little church, and over the years, the Reverend Richard and I became friends. I loved it when he had a moment to come out on the church porch and tell me a quick Bible story while I listened, astride my bike, fascinated by his sonorous voice. I especially admired his description of Daniel in the lions’ den. When he acted out with bug-eyed astonishment the moment Daniel’s captors looked down and saw their prisoner lounging around in the pit with his arm around the head of a big lion, I laughed appreciatively. “That Daniel, he knew the Lord,” the Reverend summed up with a chuckle while I continued to giggle, “and it made him brave. How about you, Sonny? Do you know the Lord?”
I had to admit I wasn’t certain about that, but the Reverend said it was all right. “God looks after fools and drunks,” he said with a big grin that showed off his gold front tooth, “and I guess he’ll look after you too, Sonny Hickam.” Many a time in the days to come, when I was in trouble, I would think of Reverend Richard and his belief in God’s sense of humor and His fondness for ne’er-do-wells. It didn’t make me as brave as old Daniel, but it always gave me at least a little hope the Lord would let me scrape by.

It makes my heart happy and a little more content to know that this little church is still standing and still maintained in Coalwood today.