Raleigh County Story Archives - Page 2 of 9 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Ceremony In Raleigh County Honors ‘Little Jimmy’ Dickens

Family of the late country music legend and Raleigh County native, “Little Jimmy” Dickens, will honor his memory this weekend.

Born in Raleigh County in 1920, Dickens became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.

Some of his widely recognized songs include “Country Boy,” “We Could,” “A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed,” “I’m Little but I’m Loud,” “Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait),” ‘The Violet and the Rose,” and “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.”

The West Virginia native is credited with beginning the rhinestone-studded fashion trend in live country music. The musician became known as the king of novelty songs. Earlier this year, Dickens’s legacy joined the West Virginia’s Highway Historical Marker Program. The program honors the state’s history along highways with white signs with black lettering. Dickens died in 2015. At that time, he was the longest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Family and friends will gather in Bolt close to the marker that displays the significance of “Little Jimmy” Dickens’s impact on country music. The family descendants will host a ceremony in the parking lot of the Bolt Church of God on Sunday.

The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. For more information contact Sherrie Hunter by calling 304-573-5194 or e-mail shunter3254@gmail.com

Biden Administration Invests In W.Va. Communities Struggling With Water Infrastructure

The Biden Administration is providing technical assistance to two West Virginia counties lacking basic water services.

The Biden Administration is providing technical assistance to two West Virginia counties lacking basic water services. The assistance will help communities identify infrastructure needs and apply for federal dollars.

The Environmental Protection Agency will use new and existing programs to help disadvantaged communities in Raleigh and McDowell Counties. The Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative will use funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The West Virginia counties are two of 11 across the country that will receive aid with basic water and wastewater needs, including replacing lead lines, reducing sewer overflow, and complying with regulations.

About two-thirds of homes in McDowell County lack basic wastewater treatment infrastructure. Some Raleigh County residents deal with discolored water with strong odors. Upgraded systems are expected to improve health in the region.

The EPA is partnering with the Department of Agriculture for the project.

Record-Breaking Lilly Family Reunion Returns This August

A summer tradition for many families is back after being cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s the annual Lilly family reunion in Southern West Virginia — but you don’t really have to be a Lilly to attend.The gathering was once the largest family reunion in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2009, they set the record with more than 2,5000 registered Lillys.

This number did include a proven connection to the family, rather it be blood, adoption or marriage.The family has been working on the reunion grounds in Flat Top in Raleigh County to prepare for visitors from all 50 states, according to a news release.The first Lilly Reunion was held in 1929 and it continued annually until 1949. Many of the Lillys were forced by the US government to leave their community when the Bluestone Dam was built during the 1940’s.

The family reconnected and revived the reunion in 1978 and have held it each year since. The reunion will include scheduled events over three days in August. Some of the plans include live music, a genealogy booth, the souvenir booth and a magician at no charge. There will also be food available for purchase.

April 5, 2010: Explosions Rock the Upper Big Branch Mine

On April 5, 2010, the day after Easter, a series of explosions rocked the Upper Big Branch mine near Montcoal in Raleigh County.

Twenty-nine men died, making it West Virginia’s worst mining disaster since 78 miners were killed at Farmington in 1968.

After the Upper Big Branch explosion, an independent investigation determined that sparks from a longwall miner had ignited a pocket of methane, setting off a chain of explosions that surged more than two miles through the mine.

The panel concluded that the explosions could have been prevented and that systems designed to protect the miners had failed. The report found that the mine’s owner, Massey Energy, had operated its mines in a “profoundly reckless manner.” The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration reached similar conclusions, blaming the deaths on an “intentional and aggressive” effort by Massey to ignore safety rules.

The criticism of Massey eventually led to the resignation of company president, Don Blankenship. In 2016, Blankenship was sentenced to one year in prison for conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards, largely in connection with the Upper Big Branch Disaster.

Raleigh County Memorial Airport Upgrades Expected To Create Hundreds Of Jobs

The Raleigh County Memorial Airport is getting a facelift, and along with that may come hundreds of new jobs in the area.

The airport, located just outside of Beckley, was awarded $8.3 million in federal, state and local funds on Thursday to make some critical upgrades.

The Airport Industrial Park in Beaver will receive $3.5 million in federal dollars from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

The EDA awarded $1.7 million as part of the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) program. The ACC is meant to help communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal.

The ARC awarded $1.75 million as part of West Virginia’s regular allocation of annual funds after a recommendation from Gov. Jim Justice.

According to a release from the EDA, the federal grants will be matched with $4.85 million in state and local funds.

The project will level land, construct an access road, and install water and sewer infrastructure to create prime development opportunities for commercial properties.

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito championed the announcement as a way to help the economy in Southern West Virginia. Manchin and Capito advocated for the investment that will help connect more sites with direct access to the airport’s runways.

The work is expected to create more than 600 jobs.

August 3, 1977: Coal Operator W. P. Tams Dies at 94

Coal operator W. P. Tams died on August 3, 1977, at age 94. Tams studied engineering at Virginia Tech before going to work in 1904 for coal operator Sam Dixon in the southern West Virginia coalfields. Four years later, Tams launched his own company, known as Gulf Smokeless Coal in the new Winding Gulf Coalfield. He founded the Raleigh County town of Tams as his company’s headquarters and later acquired another coal operation in neighboring Wyoming County.

Tams was an unusual coal operator in several ways. First, he retained his company’s independence at a time when most operations were being consolidated into large conglomerations. He didn’t sell out until he retired in 1955. Another thing that separated Tams from other coal operators is that he lived his long life in the same town as many of his miners. The town of Tams was a model coal camp for its time. And his modest bachelor home was no larger than those occupied by most of his miners. His major indulgence was a sizable personal library. W. P. Tams is considered the last of the old-time coal barons.