Jenkinjones, West Virginia | How Did This Happen?

[@h8sjws735]

My Mother is from there, visited many times as a kid, but it’s been decades. Crazy seeing how it has been left to waste away. You drove by her family’s old house, which I hadn’t seen in over 40 yrs…. Thank you for posting, hope Mom gets a kick outta this, have already sent it to her!!

[@natalieh6511]

Lifelong WV resident here….when I was a little girl my dad sold coal mining equipment and would travel around the state and tell my mom about the places he visited. Apparently he mentioned this place, because I named one of my Ken dolls Jenkin Jones lol

[@nicamc1]

my grandmother raised 11 children there , it's been 55 years since I've been back. My father took me to the company store when I was maybe 6 , it was a big deal. Lots of memories and stories

[@reducedtoatoms327]

It breaks my heart to see those abandoned houses. behind those walls were people with great stories . they have gone forever :"(

[@qltyboots]

Looks beautiful. Imagine there was a time when kids played in the streets and families lived in most of these houses

[@TorahObservantCatholic]

I am originally from a small town in McDowell County called War. I've never visited JenkinJones, but had a friend who lived there. This is so sad. Bad times but good people.

[@hoodsnhollers]

I have War, West Virginia uploaded on the channel check it out thanks for watching!

[@TorahObservantCatholic]

@@hoodsnhollers ❤️

[@hippy8213]

Was in War , yesterday...😢

[@Stormblast729]

I was born in Welch and lived in Premier and Iager until our mom took us down to Georgia in 1987. It is sad to see what became of these areas.

[@lindalaw8368]

These towns came to depend on one industry - coal. Same can be said of northern towns near steel and railroads. Once the industry goes, the town dies. Very sad. Born in Beckley. Love these towns and people.❤😢

[@tbellew100]

Oak Hill here.

[@LorriNuzzo]

God Bless the Hollers of West Virginia. I wish peace and better days for everyone. 🙏🌺🙏

[@ださって皆さんださ]

Beautiful place. The trees, the flowers trees, the wild flowers.. It naturally gave colours and decorated the scenery of the place. I always want to live in a place like this.

[@atlas_stood212]

In the late 60's, I lived in JJ for about a year and a half. My dad is from Powahtan and we moved when the Bronx started to get bad. We lived in Switchback with my Grands, and then JJ and Maybuery. Those were the best years of my childhood.

[@zanzibardelight]

Such a crying shame. Even the road surface becomes a mess in places. Your videos are so interesting and I thank you for showing a part of the world I probably won't ever get to see.

[@johngregory7841]

Great video. Such a common sight in Kentucky and West Virginia. You see cast swatches of dilapidated homes and trailers and then a little stretch where several families have done a great job of maintenance on their homes and yards. I always look forward to your efforts and thank you.

[@stevendaniel8126]

Geeeeezzzzz...... When I occasionally feel sorry for myself and depressed, all I have to do is watch one of your videos to remind myself how blessed, fortunate and truly rich I am..........😊😊. Thank you !!

[@Nottmkid]

What's really good about your videos is the absence of a commentary; keep it that way. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

[@hoodsnhollers]

That's the plan!

[@blondefonzie1]

10 thumbs up to you

[@melissamarioth9554]

I agree

[@bethmcgill5944]

Still....America is a vast beautiful country and capable of reinvesting and vitalization.

[@mariejonas224]

So sad such a beautiful area

[@1940limited]

Something about it is still fascinating. Imagine what it was like when the coal industry was thriving.

[@staceyallen3139]

As heartbreaking as it is, I love these types of beautiful abandoned places. I spent years photographing such places before urbex was a thing. Beautiful, thank you for sharing. ❤

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@яесть42]

Спасибо вам за видео. Безумно нравятся старые шахтёрские города в Западной Вирджинии.

[@henrytroll3439]

I'd like to visit these places and get this eerie feeling in person

[@J_Thomas24]

I live in VA but only about 20 minutes from Jenkinjones. The coal industry was in its prime when I was growing up and all of these small towns were doing well. I've watched as businesses close and people move out of the area. Not all towns around here are like this and Jenkinjones is definitely one of the more extreme examples but for sure there are plenty of local places that are suffering. Love your channel!

[@jeffharmon7960]

Some of the greatest people and stories you'll ever meet and hear. I miss home

[@shawnlawler6076]

I was born in California and raised in Ohio but have lived in central West Virginia for 23 years. I have lived in Braxton county for 11 years. I love it here.

[@OnkelUrmel]

Scary but beautiful! Thanks for showing!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks for watching!

[@sherry1475]

Thank you. West Virginia is a beautiful state. So sad to see the loss of homes. Loved seeing the wild flowers. My mom’s dad was from West Virginia and her name was Wanda, like the name on the bridge. 😊

[@henryardoin8513]

I love your channel sir" thank you for your time and dedication"!👍😎

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@TheTonyMillerShow]

beautiful place , west virginia

[@jamesellis5549]

I worked for awhile in McDowell county,it is shocking even by WV,E KY standards.The poorest county in WV with third world conditions in many places.Some of the best folks you will meet in America,I moved to FL when I retired and I miss the nice,friendly well mannered folks in WV,these people down here could learn from the Mountaineers!

[@johnlorrieboskovic2836]

If I had a spare $175k, that house at 13 seconds in would be an awesome rescue/restore.

[@klwthe3rd]

When i watch these videos i always think the same thing. There are so many beautiful houses I would love to see saved. I hate to see homes rot away to nothing. 😮‍💨

[@ronhoy8913]

I agree ! Not your average coal camp house. That appears to be a cabin farm house that predates the coal boom. Just a guess. The size is too big for a miner shack, and the style is not Victorian enough for a Coal Supers house.

[@richardgeary6432]

I was thinking the same thing! That house must have been spectacular in its glory days. Sad to see it decaying

[@tbellew100]

Then what?

[@dmitripogosian5084]

But who would live there ?

[@peterlewis4463]

Very interesting vid - both Jenkins and of course Jones are very Welsh names. The valley too is very reminiscent of Wales - narrow with steep sides and undoubtedly that’s why the coal based community flourished there. Many thanks for a new perspective on areas of the USA that I’ve not visited. I’m Welsh by the way from Swansea in South Wales and both my grandfathers were miners and my dad. Good luck with future ventures!

[@donnagagne3813]

This place really is beautiful. Very sad that it's become so run down. I live in an area quite similar. Thank you for bringing us along. I always look forward to your uploads.

[@dmitripogosian5084]

It is not so much run down as abandoned

[@Markalanharman]

My mother was born in Jenkinjones. I was born in Welch. Growing up in this area was extraordinary. Everyone knew each other. We took care of our family and helped our neighbors when needed. The best of times.

[@shellybliese9610]

It’s a shame what has happened here. It’s such a beautiful place. I love this video.

[@GenerallyGeneralLee]

Your camera work is so SMOOTH - not shaky at all, even when the vehicle goes over rough roads. 👍

[@hoodsnhollers]

I put a lot of effort and engineering in it to make sure it’s smooth lol

[@joannemarion9261]

I wish I was there with you love this drive ❤❤ watching from Canada

[@halloweenmama714]

That railroad bridge was so cool to see! Thanks for sharing love your videos!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching! Yeah that bridge was pretty awesome!

[@brucenator]

There's a holler near London, West Virginia (off of Rt. 60 outside Montgomery) called Hughes Creek (maps refer to it as Heslop Hollow) where the locals call at least the beginning part of it "Happytown," as I recall. Have you ever been there? I remember in my younger days having a door-to-door sales job trying to sell "pre-need" funeral arrangements (I say 'trying' because I was terrible at it, so the job was short-lived). The plus-side of the job was that I got to talk to some really interesting people along the way. At one point there was a woman on Hughes Creek who began telling me her entire life story and I thought in my youthful mind that I would go back there some day as a journalist and write an essay telling her life story, but then life happened and I never did.

[@kentalanlee]

God bless the families who grew up here. I think I can hear echoes of the good times, now long passed, in some of those burned out and collapsed buildings. Merry Christmas.

[@lie-berry]

Love springtime in the mountains.

[@TEXASLOYAL]

As a line from a Tracy Lawerence song: The only thing that stays the same is everything changes

[@JamesWilliams-gp6ek]

I live in the Adirondacks and can appreciate the beautiful hollows and valleys that make up West Virginia. It really is a pretty area even given the horrible economic depression. I hope better days come their way.

[@ekaamelia232]

Like ghost town beutifull but no one stay there

[@kimmullins337]

I can almost smell that fresh country air❤

[@danadelaplante6797]

Imagining this place when is was full of life. Very interesting to see now, sad so many homes left to rot. Thanks for sharing.

[@rodrickmarch2085]

When i see these areas , i remember one renowned song... ' west virginia... Country road'. Song of the yester years but i use to listen n hear people used to play thid music till nowadays❤. I am from Shillong east khasi hills meghalaya india

[@semperparatus2049]

Thank you for these insightful pictures. Many greetings from Germany.

[@hoodsnhollers]

Hello to Germany!

[@catherinemay9997]

Very nice. Thank you for your time.

[@gunmetal2445]

From South East Asia here. Thank you for sharing a peek into your side of the world. I find this images very beautiful and serene myself.

[@REPSDirect]

You can almost hear these rows of towering gaunt trees moaning poverty as they embrace this holler road splashed with dandelion yellow and patches of green countryside still dotted with spent memories.

[@klwthe3rd]

Did anyone spot that woman sitting on the end of the road on the left at the very very end of the video??? She had a hat on with psyedelic pants. That was super creepy in the middle of nowhere. Where she was sitting wasn't like her property or on the porch of a house. It was like the intersection to nowhere. Wow what a great video.

[@Lisa-b3c1u]

Very creepy indeed

[@omegalamda3145]

Hasn’t moved in the last few weeks, it is said.

[@julieshepherd5989]

I didn't see her, I wished that I had. Perhaps she was a ghost.

[@melissadailey2189]

She is just sitting and waving at traffic!

[@arnbobnickerson]

Thank you for going nice and slow so a person could take it all in what you were showing..

[@robertbooth3699]

Man! I feel this deep. Looks like so many back roads in Oregon after we quit logging so much.

[@bridgetmuehlberger5141]

I love that you noted it was a grim reminder of what used to be, yet still beautiful and scenic. That’s the fascination of these places for me. I see the abandoned homes and towns and wonder what their lives were like when coal was still king, but I can only guess at what life is like for the 102 that are still there. This looks like it may have been shot in the spring? I can’t imagine how desolate it looks in the middle of winter. Another great vid! 😊

[@BLU.-.J]

Thanks for sharing. I love videos like this. Where I live (the rural south), there are places like this on many back roads. I've been fascinated with abandoned buildings, ghost towns since I was hired many years ago to be the caretaker of an abandoned asylum in Massachusetts. That's where I caught the "abandoned place bug". Have fun and be careful! ☮️

[@barrykarpowich731]

THANK YOU,STILL BEAUTIFUL TO SEE 😊

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching yes it is beautiful!

[@DavidWenger-tw4dz]

And people don’t believe me when I tell them, you can see the chickens under the house through the cracks in the floor in a WV home I was a guest in. And your right, good people just hard times.

[@1954crc]

12:15 That gal is just sitting there,taking it easy. How relaxing. Most people here in America can't do that.

[@toniwatson380]

Love your videos of all the country out in rural, very rural areas! In old towns also! Hoods, not so much..

[@cherylkimbley3992]

Glad to see some owning and maintaining properties. That church is beautiful. Too bad someone doesn't buy properties and revitalize area. You know property could be had for a song. So sad.

[@usshornetcvs12]

many thanks for this revealing shot of where we were once upon a time. the buildings are quiet reminders that people come and go. haunting, and needs no soundtrack.

[@timbow1356]

Theres a few mountainous ateas of the Oregon Coast that look quite similiar despite rhe distance. In our case, logging halted due to habitat destruction of many endangered animals/birds etc. Community turned to growing pot for decades but then it became legal sooo... Anyway. I love your vidoes. Thank you for what you do!!

[@stephenbrown5923]

Oregon has its share of poverty, that’s for sure. Both out in the coastal ranges and areas of eastern and southern Oregon.

[@toniwatson380]

Also LOVE it when you have talked to a local

[@rosiemcnaughton9933]

Driving that narrow road at night would sure be spooky...Bet you were glad when it ended in a main road...

[@DavidWenger-tw4dz]

When it snows, plows do not go there. You merely keep your vehicle centered between the fence lines.

[@keithostendorf3772]

those people are greatful for what little they have. a lot can be learned from them.

[@crusinscamp]

Thanks for taking us on a tour of part of America we rarely see. West Virginia is a beautiful state. Very scenic to see the houses nestled in amongst the hills. Sad to see so many of them abandoned. This area may be poor in financial wealth, but is exceedingly rich in natural beauty. Sometimes I reflect how the coal miners of West Virginia were the very foundation of our industrial might during WWII.

[@PABLOPIPIU]

Beautiful.... loved it. I am from New Delhi, India.

[@davedammitt7691]

Wow. I thought that I grew up in the boonies in Central Illinois. It would be downright scary driving those roads at night, in the rain, with oncoming traffic.

[@rickbrown1734]

I have saw this many times in my life, when coal ran out there was nothing left for work. I’m from the coal fields of SW Virginia, i have seen this first hand.

[@gillianaustin5849]

Thankyou for making these videos. This work matters. If images of poverty, joblessness, homelessness, decaying infrastructure, etc... were not put upon the internet then many whom could do something would pretend that such matters did not exist. America is going to be a better land. My family is helping to make good change occur within America. My Regards Mr. Dominic James Austin.

[@ivyimogene]

Looks very nice. Reminds me of John Denver's lovely songs.

[@joelark2007]

County boys doing a great job holding that road together .....looks like chevy blazer the truck of choice on the narrow roads

[@nolagreene9475]

Love watching…. Although so sad & so beautiful 🌻👍

[@robinseals2144]

Hauntingly beautiful ❤

[@yevonsama]

the location is beautiful.

[@powerzx]

Everything looks so scary there. It reminds me the movie "Wrong Turn". Just imagine that your car breaks there and cell phone has no range and you can't find anybody to help you.

[@TheSwissChalet]

You would eventually find someone. Everyone around is nice, all you have to do is ask, they will give you the shirt off their back to you

[@CuttingEdgetools]

Cool old Haunt. While back I watched a video of several WV towns got washed away by Flood! Beautiful State

[@hoodsnhollers]

On my way into this town I came from the southern end in Virginia. By the time I got to the top of the mountain the road was washed out. Had to go 45 minutes around to come down into the town!

[@markmonroe7330]

These are awesome. I love WV and McDowell County in particular. You are finding some spots that I am not familiar with. I have been following along with Google Maps and Google Earth. I am also taking notes for my next adventures in that area. I am in NC and make it up there often. Thanks again.

[@outoftheforest7652]

This is wonderfully immersive. I have driven through Eastern Kentucky and it was just like that. Great footages!!!

[@DonaldCroswhite]

Love this videos, thank you for a nice drive around of this area, it's appreciated.

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much for watchin!

[@etoiledhiver]

Hello thank you for the video

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks for watching!

[@gracekouvali6903]

Despite the state of the houses, this place be very peaceful and quiet, where there's no rush to go anywhere unlike the big cities.

[@derekandjo75]

Greetings from the ozark mountains! Arkansas side!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Hello to Arkansas!

[@fpd5874]

Used to live in Swain County, North Carolina. Somewhat similar, loved it back there.

[@lindseywalker6925]

I was raised north of Charleston WV. Up a holler known as Tuppers Creek. The road wasn't paved. It ran along side the creek. It flooded over every now and then.

[@americanpatriot9865]

My uncle died in the coal mines of Virginia (Pocahontas mines) but lived in McDowell county WV. The only remembrance I have of him is a death certificate from 1929 and a worn out photograph. Times were tough back then folks. Be thankful for what you got!

[@DelightfulHelmet-mc8su]

I live in Pennsylvania, there's hundreds of towns like that here.

[@andreygurenkoff2721]

I like it. beauty, colorful views. subscribed

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you so much 👍

[@ralphjenkins1507]

Well done. Sad, yet quite interesting.

[@theresacrockett8559]

first timer on your channel. I find it so peaceful without all of the commentary. Thanks for the ride!!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching!

[@missy183]

Thank you for sharing this video. God bless. 😇❤

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching!

[@francescodemaria6561]

West Virginia is so fascinating... and so creepy. Greetings from Italy!

[@LauraKnotek]

The dogs are cute! 🐶🥰 What are those little brick structures near the street in many of the yards used for?

[@ianbabcock5951]

I never went up the hill from the company store buildings, that one brown dog with the deep voice his barks echoe all down in the valley where the main road is, he sounded like a giant!

[@hoodsnhollers]

When I was down at the company store most of them came down to visit lol

[@carolyncook3611]

A few homes nicely kept up and late model cars everywhere, so there must be some employment somewhere. Drove through W Virginia many times on I-75. Such a sad state full of good hard working folks.

[@annmariepatko3087]

Your videos are excellent!

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks for the kind words, and for watching!

[@henguspod3899]

im from the uk and i love your video's thank you

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnmartin7182]

another mega content footage was great but oh wow what crazy rundown place

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thanks so much John!

[@darrylbrosius4619]

Really good video. Not sure if you've heard of or seen Peter Santenello videos on tube. His videos on West Virginia and the coal industry, and it's people were great takes. For those who give the people of these West Virginia areas a bad rep, I'll tell you myself some of the friendliest, kindest, genuine, caring people I've ever seen or will in this hateful day and age. But in the same context, don't bring trouble around and come to their areas with ill will. They will certainly take care of their own, and solve any issues coming accordingly their way lol. Struggles are real, most don't have much but are blessed, for what they do have and would help someone in need. Gonna subscribe to your channel, great work

[@cliffordparmeter6940]

Very interesting but very sad to see small towns in this shape.. kinburn Ontario Canada God Bless.

[@steven-u1q]

Great video as usual, thanks.

[@hoodsnhollers]

Thank you for watching

[@ntokozomathaba2337]

Beautiful video ❤😊

[@WhimsicalHelvetesfönster]

Wow! That bridge is awesome!!