| Late
1950s |
2007 |
| 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 is boarded up. The
Little Stores are gone. |
| The Clubhouse provided hosing
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 caol 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 will
close in 2008. |
| 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. |
