Aug. 30, 2010
BOOK NOTES: Woodland Press Reprints G.T. Swain's 1927 'History of Logan County West Virginia'
By David M. Kinchen
August 2010 is a milestone month for history buffs in West Virginia with the publication by Woodland Press LLC of Chapmanville, Logan County, of G.T. Swain's "History of Logan County West Virginia" (384 pages, $29.95, quality paperback, available on www.amazon.com and local bookstores).
Swain was a Logan County journalist and prolific writer when he published this comprehensive book in 1927. He personally knew many, if not most of the people who wrote about, including Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, of Hatfield & McCoy feud fame and the boss or czar of Logan County, Sheriff Don Chafin.
Swain's still very readable book was not what would be called objective history -- if such a beast exists. If Swain likes somebody, as he obviously likes Chafin, he likes him on every page. Swain's account of the mine wars and the Battle of Blair Mountain makes a hero out of Chafin.
Here's what Wikpedia has to say about Chafin:
Don Chafin (June 26, 1887 – August 9, 1954) was the shefiff of Logan County, West Virginia and a commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain. As sheriff of Logan County, Chafin was a fierce opponent of unionization and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from coal mine operators in return for his violent suppression of the United Mine Workers union.
Chafin's most notable anti-union measures came during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, when he organized an effort to prevent armed miners from crossing through Logan County. He assembled a force of thousands of local townspeople, sheriff's deputies, and national guardsmen. His forces successfully prevented the advance of the miners until federal troops intervened and forced the latter to disperse. As a result of his actions, Chafin became a hero of the mine operators and an enemy of the miners.
In 1924, Chafin was arrested in connection with moonshining and sentenced to two years in prison. After his release, he became an important figure in the Democratic Party of West Virginia, and a lobbyist for the coal industry. In 1936, he moved to Huntington, West Virginia where he was a wealthy and well-known figure until his death in 1954.
From the 1940s through the 1950s, Chafin owned the Guaranty Bank building at 517 9th St. in Huntington and he and his wife lived in a luxury penthouse apartment in the building, which today is owned by Huntington businessman John Hankins. The 12-story structure was constructed in 1909 as the Robson Prichard Building.
Keith Davis of Woodland Press calls Swain's "History of Logan County, West Virginia" an "especially important literary work. The book, which was originally penned in 1927 by respected Logan resident and journalist G.T. Swain, paints a vivid picture of the county in bygone days. Inside this cover, Swain's text is offered exactly as it was first published in the second decade of the twentieth century. The story of the earliest pioneers and settlers is given, along with the moving story of Princess Aracoma. The formation of the counties of Logan and Mingo is described, as well as the development of local government, in amazing detail. The author, who personally knew Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, shares his account of the story of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud. He also writes about Logan's war record. The history of the local coal industry is recorded along with the emergence of the timber business, and several chapters are devoted to a graphic account of the mine wars days when angry mobs of coalminers marched against Logan County. A great deal of historical information is contained inside this volume, and Woodland Press is honored to be able to offer it in its entirety in an affordable format for the first time since 1927 in this special quality softcover edition. It is our hope here at Woodland Press that through this undertaking, you, the reader, will discover a great resource of West Virginia history. Through reading this text, we trust you will be inspired to dig even deeper into this area's past."
So, if you're a history buff, Swain's book is a valuable -- if obviously biased -- resource at an affordable price. It's basically a facsimile edition of the original. Too, it should be helpful to genealogy buffs who have ancestors with roots in Logan County, which for a long time included present-day Mingo County. Mingo is the Mountain State's newest county, created in 1895 out of the western part of Logan County.
Publisher's website: www.woodlandpress.com
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BOOK NOTES: Woodland Press Reprints G.T. Swain's 1927 'History of Logan County West Virginia'
By David M. Kinchen
August 2010 is a milestone month for history buffs in West Virginia with the publication by Woodland Press LLC of Chapmanville, Logan County, of G.T. Swain's "History of Logan County West Virginia" (384 pages, $29.95, quality paperback, available on www.amazon.com and local bookstores).
Swain was a Logan County journalist and prolific writer when he published this comprehensive book in 1927. He personally knew many, if not most of the people who wrote about, including Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, of Hatfield & McCoy feud fame and the boss or czar of Logan County, Sheriff Don Chafin.
Swain's still very readable book was not what would be called objective history -- if such a beast exists. If Swain likes somebody, as he obviously likes Chafin, he likes him on every page. Swain's account of the mine wars and the Battle of Blair Mountain makes a hero out of Chafin.
Here's what Wikpedia has to say about Chafin:
Don Chafin (June 26, 1887 – August 9, 1954) was the shefiff of Logan County, West Virginia and a commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain. As sheriff of Logan County, Chafin was a fierce opponent of unionization and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from coal mine operators in return for his violent suppression of the United Mine Workers union.
Chafin's most notable anti-union measures came during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, when he organized an effort to prevent armed miners from crossing through Logan County. He assembled a force of thousands of local townspeople, sheriff's deputies, and national guardsmen. His forces successfully prevented the advance of the miners until federal troops intervened and forced the latter to disperse. As a result of his actions, Chafin became a hero of the mine operators and an enemy of the miners.
In 1924, Chafin was arrested in connection with moonshining and sentenced to two years in prison. After his release, he became an important figure in the Democratic Party of West Virginia, and a lobbyist for the coal industry. In 1936, he moved to Huntington, West Virginia where he was a wealthy and well-known figure until his death in 1954.
From the 1940s through the 1950s, Chafin owned the Guaranty Bank building at 517 9th St. in Huntington and he and his wife lived in a luxury penthouse apartment in the building, which today is owned by Huntington businessman John Hankins. The 12-story structure was constructed in 1909 as the Robson Prichard Building.
Keith Davis of Woodland Press calls Swain's "History of Logan County, West Virginia" an "especially important literary work. The book, which was originally penned in 1927 by respected Logan resident and journalist G.T. Swain, paints a vivid picture of the county in bygone days. Inside this cover, Swain's text is offered exactly as it was first published in the second decade of the twentieth century. The story of the earliest pioneers and settlers is given, along with the moving story of Princess Aracoma. The formation of the counties of Logan and Mingo is described, as well as the development of local government, in amazing detail. The author, who personally knew Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, shares his account of the story of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud. He also writes about Logan's war record. The history of the local coal industry is recorded along with the emergence of the timber business, and several chapters are devoted to a graphic account of the mine wars days when angry mobs of coalminers marched against Logan County. A great deal of historical information is contained inside this volume, and Woodland Press is honored to be able to offer it in its entirety in an affordable format for the first time since 1927 in this special quality softcover edition. It is our hope here at Woodland Press that through this undertaking, you, the reader, will discover a great resource of West Virginia history. Through reading this text, we trust you will be inspired to dig even deeper into this area's past."
So, if you're a history buff, Swain's book is a valuable -- if obviously biased -- resource at an affordable price. It's basically a facsimile edition of the original. Too, it should be helpful to genealogy buffs who have ancestors with roots in Logan County, which for a long time included present-day Mingo County. Mingo is the Mountain State's newest county, created in 1895 out of the western part of Logan County.
Publisher's website: www.woodlandpress.com
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