A history of Big Chimney,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Big Chimney from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusBig Chimney is a census-designated place (CDP) located on U.S. Route 119 in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 629 (slightly up from 627 at the 2010 census). It is accessible by West Virginia Route 114 or exit 5 from I-79. The town is named after the tall chimney of the local salt works, which was a prominent landmark.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 627 people in 2010, 629 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1959.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Big Chimney yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Big Chimney’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewA little log cabin, - relic of th…, 1921: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Big Chimney
See all 21 →
Big Chimney, decade by decade
CommonsA little log cabin, - relic of the old days, - now occupied…1921
CommonsThe Big Chimney School at Big Chimney, W. Va. near Charlest…1921
LOCW.A. Copen's old home at Big Chimney, W. Va. Windows out on…1921
LOCA little log cabin, - relic of the old days, - now occupied…1921
LOCA little log cabin, - relic of the old days, - now occupied…1921
LOCA little log cabin, - relic of the old days, - now occupied…19211990s
Nothing in Big Chimney is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Big Chimney has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Spring Hill Cemetery Historic District in Charleston, 6.2 miles away.
Big Chimney and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as A little log cabin, - relic of the old days, - now occupied by a small family (F.T. Castle) who are gradually giving up… (1921) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3) and the Library of Congress (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.