1917 Map of Matewan

About this map

The Tug Fork river defines this borderland landscape between West Virginia and Kentucky, serving as the industrial artery for the region's coal and transit sectors during the early twentieth century. The Norfolk and Western RR tightly follows the river's winding course, connecting a dense string of coal camps and settlements such as Merrimac, Matewan, and Thacker. This survey, completed in the years leading up to 1917, documents the infrastructure of the central Appalachian coalfields, including the Thacker Mines and various local post offices like Delorme Edgarton PO. Away from the river bottom, the map reveals a remote geography of ridges and hollows where rural life centered on small institutions like the Hatfield School and Blackberry Fork School. This period marks the height of the rail-and-river economy before modern highways transformed these isolated mountain communities.