Welch, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
 Facing south on McDowell Street in 2019 | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location of Welch in McDowell County, West Virginia | |
  Welch Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:37°26′14″N81°34′44″W / 37.43722°N 81.57889°W /37.43722; -81.57889 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | McDowell |
| Incorporated | 1894[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.07 sq mi (15.71 km2) |
| • Land | 6.04 sq mi (15.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.031 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,322 ft (403 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,590 |
• Estimate (2024)[4] | 3,413 |
| • Density | 594/sq mi (229.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 24801 |
| Area code | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-85228 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555936[5] |
| Website | www |
Welch is a city in and thecounty seat ofMcDowell County, West Virginia, United States.[6] The population was 3,590 at the2020 census. Welch was incorporated as a city in 1893.
Welch was incorporated in 1894[1] and named after Isaiah A. Welch,[7] a former captain in theConfederate States Army who came to the region as a surveyor, and helped establish the plan for the beginning of a new town at the confluence ofTug Fork andElkhorn Creek.
Welch was made the county seat of McDowell County in an election by county citizens in 1892[8] even before Welch was incorporated as a city. The previous county seat was in Perryville (nowEnglish) on present dayWest Virginia Route 83 along the Dry Fork. Results of the election were contested, so to avoid violence county records were secretly moved from Perryville to Welch at night in two wagons byJames F. Strother and Trigg Tabor.[citation needed]
On March 2, 1921, the Welch City Council met to discuss impeachment of then Mayor J. H. Whitt. Whitt showed up at the meeting and disrupted the proceedings. The Welch City Council then asked the McDowell Co. Sheriff's Dept. to investigate Whitt. Later that same day, Mayor Whitt shot and killed McDowell County Deputy Sheriff William Johnson Tabor who was investigating the matter. Mayor Whitt was arrested and charged with murder but won acquittal at his trial (allegedly based onperjured testimony). Whitt left the area for parts unknown on September 27, 1921.
On August 1, 1921, detectives from theBaldwin–Felts Detective Agency assassinated Matewan Police ChiefSid Hatfield as well as Ed Chambers at theMcDowell County Courthouse located in Welch.[9]
In the first half of the 20th century during the opening of railroads and coal mines throughout the region, Welch became a prosperous city: the hub of retail business for a county approaching 100,000 in population, and the location for three hospitals. After the production boom of World War II, oil began to supplant coal in many areas of domestic fuel supply. Mechanization of coal mining reduced the number of laborers needed in coal production. McDowell County's population peaked in 1950, and began a decline over decades to follow. In 1960, however, McDowell County still ranked number one in the United States in total coal production. The City of Welch proudly proclaimed itself "The Heart of the Nation's Coal Bin".
When presidential candidateJohn F. Kennedy visited Welch by automobile caravan in 1960, he saw a city whose businesses were struggling due to a growing poverty rate throughout the county. What Kennedy learned here during his campaign for the 1960 West Virginia primary was believed to be the basis of the aid brought to theAppalachian region by the Kennedy andLyndon Johnson administrations. During a speech inCanton, Ohio on September 27, 1960, he stated "McDowell County mines more coal than it ever has in its history, probably more coal than any county in the United States and yet there are more people getting surplus food packages in McDowell County than any county in the United States. The reason is that machines are doing the jobs of men, and we have not been able to find jobs for those men."[10]
The first recipients of modern erafood stamps were the Chloe and Alderson Muncy family ofPaynesville, McDowell County. Their household included fifteen persons. On May 29, 1961, in the City of Welch, as a crowd of reporters witnessed the proceedings,Secretary of AgricultureOrville Freeman delivered $95 of federal food stamps to Mr. and Mrs. Muncy. This was the first issuance of federal food stamps under the Kennedy Administration, and it was the beginning of a rapidly expanding program of federal assistance that would be legislated in the "war on poverty".
In the 1960s and 1970s, McDowell County coal continued to be a major source of fuel for the steel and electric power generation industries. As United States steel production declined, however, McDowell County suffered further losses. In 1986, the closure of the US Steel mines in nearbyGary led to an immediate loss of more than 1,200 jobs. In the following year alone, personal income in McDowell County decreased dramatically by two-thirds. Real estate values also plummeted. Miners were forced to abandon their homes in search for new beginnings in other regions of the country.
In 2006, the city received national attention when it, along with Police Chief Robert K. Bowman were the defendants in a lawsuit brought by theACLU[11] after Bowman allegedly prevented rescuers from providingCPR to a gay man suffering cardiac arrest. After thewrongful death claim was allowed to proceed,[12] the lawsuit was settled for an undetermined amount.
Welch has been the celebrated location of an annual Veterans Day Parade that, over the decades, has attracted a distinguished list of speakers, including PresidentsHarry S. Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson.
TheMcDowell County Courthouse andWelch Commercial Historic District are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[13]
The first public children's playground in West Virginia was built in Welch in 1913. It was constructed using private donations and after 1918 was maintained by the Young Women's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. The playground sat across the street from the McDowell County Courthouse until 1930 when it became the site for theUnited States Post Office.[14]
Welch also built the first municipally ownedparking building in the United States, which was opened September 1, 1941.[15] It accommodated 232 cars and showed a profit its first year in operation.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.04 square miles (15.64 km2), of which 6.01 square miles (15.57 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.[16]
Periodic flooding of theElkhorn andTug Fork rivers has plagued the future prosperity of the city. Most notably, the record flooding in 2001 and 2002 nearly destroyed Welch altogether. Flood reduction projects to prevent further destruction in the future are presently in progress.
The town has arailway station on theNorfolk Southern Railway (formerNorfolk and Western) network.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 442 | — | |
| 1910 | 1,525 | 245.0% | |
| 1920 | 3,232 | 111.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,376 | 66.3% | |
| 1940 | 6,264 | 16.5% | |
| 1950 | 6,603 | 5.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,313 | −19.5% | |
| 1970 | 4,149 | −21.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,885 | −6.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,028 | −22.1% | |
| 2000 | 2,683 | −11.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,406 | −10.3% | |
| 2020 | 3,590 | 49.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 3,414 | [4] | −4.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] 2020 Census[3] | |||
| Ethnicity | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,139 | 59.58% |
| Black or African American | 1,010 | 28.13% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 325 | 9.05% |
| Asian | 9 | 0.25% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.22% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.01% |
| Other or mixed | 99 | 2.76% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 3,590 people, 844 households, and 517 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[19] of 2010, there were 2,406 people, 984 households, and 554 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 400.3 inhabitants per square mile (154.6/km2). There were 1,265 housing units at an average density of 210.5 per square mile (81.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.5%White, 13.3%African American, 0.1%Native American, 0.1%Asian, and 2.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.7% of the population.
There were 984 households, of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.7% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.78.
The median age in the city was 44 years. 15.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.4% male and 46.6% female.
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 2,683 people, 1,195 households, and 714 families living in the city. The population density was 821.1 people per square mile (316.8/km2). There were 1,453 housing units at an average density of 444.7 per square mile (171.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.20%White, 19.27%African American, 0.26%Native American, 0.30%Asian, 0.34% fromother races, and 0.63% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 1,195 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,795, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $30,104 versus $23,320 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $16,308. About 23.0% of families and 28.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 45.9% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
Welch was served byThe Welch News, a local newspaper that ran on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, until its sudden closure on March 13, 2023.[20]
Welch High School was in Welch, West Virginia in a 3-story building.[21]Ernest C. S. Holmboe's firm designed the 1906 high school building. In 1938,Hassel T. Hicks designed the school's gymnasium. The complex is on a hillside and was built with brown brick.[22] The Browns Creek District High School at the school site has a Temple-of-the-Winds Corinthian portico with entablature reliefs.[22]
Maroon Wave was the school's mascot.Scotty Hamilton was a basketball coach at the school. A barrel trophy was awarded to the winner in the annual Gary High School and Welch High School football game.[23]
The football team won a 1928 Southern Interscholastic Athletic Association championship.[24] The school was white only until integration in 1957,[25][26] In 1963 the football team went undefeated. Tony Colobro was its coach.[27]
Municipalities and communities ofMcDowell County, West Virginia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
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| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
