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Since I was in the area, I decided to take a little side trip to the sleepy town of Matewan (pop. 600), nestled on the Kentucky-West Virginia border in the far southwest corner of the state.  Matewan, despite its on-the-surface irrelevance, is actually the site of two completely separate and notable events: it was the center of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud, and it was the site of a labor/management standoff which turned violent, depicted in the John Sayles film titled (aptly) Matewan.

These shots are of the train depot, which was just recently rebuilt to historical specifications.  The lighting issues come from my angle in relation to the sun (which was already over the hills, as it was about 8:15pm).

Shot of the historical marker commemorating the Matewan Massacre.  The enlarged version isn't very readable; sorry about that.

The historical marker discussing the beginning of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, a shipping truck for Hatfield-McCoy furniture and the back of the store's building (one wonders if the Hatfield and McCoy families actually jointly own the store...), and the street sign at the intersection of Hatfield and McCoy streets (bad lighting).

One other pic on this page, although it's from the next day... this shot is of a historically preserved old gas station on US Route 501 at Gallivants Ferry, South Carolina (where US 501 crosses either the Lumber or Little Pee Dee River, depending on who you ask).

Go back to New River Gorge -- Go on to Crossing Pamlico Sound