Then And Now
From time to time, someone will ask us to describe Coalwood today (2007) versus Coalwood in the heyday of the Rocket Boys (late 1950s). Here is a summary:
| Late 1950s | 2013 |
| Olga was a working coal mine providing employment to many people. | The coal mine closed down in the late 1980s. There are no coal-mining jobs in Coalwood. |
| There were several businesses in town: Country Corner [gas station and convenience store], Big Store, several Little Stores, doctor's office, dentist's office. | All businesses are closed except the Country Corner. The Big Store was torn down. The Little Stores are gone. |
| The Clubhouse provided housing to single miners. | The Clubhouse is abandoned and boarded up. |
| The apartments in Coalwood Main provided housing. | The apartments are abandoned and boarded up. |
| The Methodist Church in Coalwood Main was in operation. | The Methodist Church in Coalwood Main is still in operation. |
| Automation in coal mines was still in its early days. | Coal mining is heaving automated, drastically reducing the number of people needed to work in the mines. |
| Most of the people who worked in Coalwood worked in the Olga mine or in support operations such as the Big Store, accounting, the Clubhouse, etc. | Most of the people in Coalwood are retired and getting on in age. A few people live in Coalwood and work in some of the other coal mines in McDowell County. |
| The Coalwood School was operational. | The Coalwood School burned down and stands in ruins. |
| High school students were bused to Big Creek High School in War. | Big Creek High School is closed. |
| A railroad line ran into Coalwood from the north. | There is no railroad line. |
| Olga #1 tipple was a prominent structure located beside WV 16. | The tipple is gone, and the mine shaft has been sealed. |
| The Hickam House (surrounded by the famous white picket fence) was across the street from the Country Corner. | The Hickam House (surrounded by a chain-link fence) is across the street from the Country Corner. |
| There were a lot more homes than today. | Several floods over the years have destroyed a lot of the homes in Coalwood. |
| There was a working United States post office in Coalwood. | The post office is closed and boarded up. Mail is delivered from Welch. |
| The area that is Cape Coalwood today was a good-sized slate dump. | The slate dump has been mostly removed and the forest has reclaimed much of the area. |
| The road from Coalwood to Welch was narrow. | The road has been widened in many places and is much safer. |
| The people in Coalwood are proud. | The people in Coalwood are proud. |