History · Matewan

Matewan’s history is mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Matewan. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

2old photos & papers

1historic places

3famous people

1need a date

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Matewan’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Matewan’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtMatewan Historic District protects 41 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark1 place on the National Register, including Matewan Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Matewan’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Matewan’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2 Retake an old viewMatewan West Virginia floodwall: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

On the National Register

1 listing protects 41 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

place listed

National Historic Landmark

Matewan Historic District

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1993

Matewan Historic District

in West Virginia

#94

by listings

Districts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Commercial1

Bungalow1

★ Landmark

Matewan Historic DistrictCommercial

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Matewan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Matewan.

Read it all →

"Mate Creek Post Office" was established on February 18, 1875. Early postmasters included Joseph Murphy (February 18, 1875) and Elias Hatfield (January 13, 1882). The latter was a brother to William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, father to future West Virginia governor Henry Drury Hatfield, and participant in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud.

By 1885, Mate Creek PO was discontinued and replaced by "Sidney Post Office". Elliot Rutherford, a Logan County sheriff, was postmaster beginning on September 3, 1885.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Matewan, 1936 to 1999

Woven from the archive, the National Register and the people born here.

20th century
1936Born hereSam Church is born here
1947Born hereGayleatha B. Brown is born here
1952Born hereJohn Hendricks is born here
1997LandmarkMatewan Historic District named a National Historic Landmark
1999In the archiveMatewan West Virginia floodwall

By decade

Matewan, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item

1999Matewan West Virginia floodwall

Date unknown1 to date

Date?Matewan West Virginia aerial view

Today3 recent

2017-07-22 09 38 47 View north along West Virginia State Route 49 (Mate Street) at Bridge Street in

20172017-07-22 09 38 47 View north along West Virginia St…

2008Matewan, West Virginia

2004WVMap-doton-Matewan

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewMatewan West Virginia aerial view

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Matewan’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Matewan

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

John HendricksAmerican businessman · b. 1952

Gayleatha B. BrownAmerican diplomat · b. 1947

Sam ChurchAmerican labor unionist · b. 1936

Stories next door

History across the town line

McCarrIts story Red JacketIts story

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Has Matewan changed for the better?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start a conversation

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia and Wikidata for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.