By Taylor Sisk, 100 Days in Appalachia, July 1, 2021
In his history of Williamson, West Virginia, Okey P. Keadle – a member of Williamson High School’s inaugural, 1918, graduating class – describes the fire of 1906 that destroyed some 20 downtown buildings. In the long run, Keadle writes, “as is usually the case in such instances, the result was beneficial to the city for it removed all the old buildings on that street and gave room for new ones to be built.”
Keadle’s positive spin on what others might view as calamity is certainly admirable. Though he died two decades before the Great Flood of ’77, in which water rose to the mezzanine level of the Mountaineer Hotel – downtown Williamson’s most recognizable landmark – and well before the beginning of the end of the coal economy through which Mingo County prospered, that brand of glass-half-full optimism undoubtedly served him well: Life in central Appalachia requires a resolute spirit.
Loretta Simon is likewise an optimist. Until it closed its doors April 21, 2020, Simon served as head nurse and chief operating officer of Williamson Memorial Hospital, the staff of which was known as “Your Friends on the Hill.” The 76-bed hospital had been struggling financially; there were potential buyers, but the pandemic derailed that process.
Comments (0)