West Virginia in the 20th Century-The 1950s

A one-hour documentary describing life in the Mountain State during the 1950s. The program features former governors Cecil Underwood and Hulett Smith; former Charleston Gazette Editor James Haught; historians Stuart McGehee, Jerry Thomas and Paul Lutz. Also appearing are Shirley Love, Anna and Paul Gilmer, William Kelley, Mary Jane Becker, Arden Curry and Raymond Chafin. The program was produced by the West Virginia Documentary Consortium, Inc. Narrated by Harry Wallace, it was produced, directed, written and edited by Gary Simmons.

[@user-hr3tx6uu9o]

Miss Bill Kelley who commented on here. I taught his son and daughter. Bill was a gem of a guy. I lived on Randolph St. too and played outside at night unafraid. My mom remarried my dad and we moved to So. Chas., then Spring Hill, St. Albans and back to the west side. Both of my parents worked on Capitol Street so I knew downtown. My first time on a farm at Blue Creek scared me-- chickens jumped on my feet. Smile. I've been all over WV and have loved what I saw. There's no place I'd rather live than here! West Virginians are special people with big hearts!!❤ If you need help, West Virginians have open arms and hearts.

[@julianperez-dowdy7282]

I was blown away when I saw the picture of my sister and me. We were called Pat or Jean. We were only 18 months apart. I will ALWAYS love West Virginia. It is a big part of my heart. Jean Bowman Bookstaver , Norcross Ga.

[@morgandeclercque4608]

My Father in Law was from Parkersburg. After being severely injured in the Solomon Islands during WWII, he was sent to Oakland, CA to recover. He fell in love with California and never returned to WV, except for visits to see his parents and other kinfolk, saying “it got too damn cold in the winter.” He married and became a successful rancher in the San Joaquin Valley. He died in 1988, still a proud US Marine veteran and native West Virginian.

[@lindalauer1434]

I loved collecting bottles & getting 10 cents a piece for them for a small paper bag of candy.

[@theresadarr3084]

My youth was spent in the 50's. Oh, how I miss my home, West Virginia.

[@luannyates5199]

I was born in 1956 in Tennessee. I look back now and it was a magical time.

[@thefirstariel4231]

I was born in WV in 1950. Thanks for the video, it brought back a lot memories.

[@Curly34584]

People don't even sit out on their porches liked they used too! Too many Electronics!! I miss Drive-In Movie Theaters.

[@maryduffney8131]

I was still in WVA, at that time, wish I had never left, now that I could go back, there is no one left, it is lonely there now, but I will be buried there by my parents. it is the safest laid back place you will ever go, they treat you like you treat them

[@eunicestone6532]

W listened to The Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. Often we powered the radio with a car battery. Daddy would hook up the radio on the front porch and open the windows and crank it up. Wouldnt br a light on in the house in the summertime and we would just sleep where we were comfortable. Only on Saturday night. 😅

[@marmeedoll]

I was there. Played basketball with an all state player. Best friend from Wheeling. Wish I could go back. We used to stand on a bridge to watch the steam engines go under us. It was the wail of the steam engines that haunted our souls. The sound of the outward bound was our lullaby. I would go further south to find my love, deep and high in the Smokies.

[@cherylperry2910]

I love life when it was so humble! I hate todays living, all about sex,greed and the all about ME,ME,ME

[@Unknown17]

I learned a lot from this presentation and gained respect for the folks of West Virginia.

[@MariAdkins]

thank you.

[@yellowstoneloyal8186]

Well, it is almost Heaven

[@alicemccain585]

I moved to Martinsburg in 2004. I love this state, and I love Martinsburg! I love hearing about we'd history! Thank you!

[@iudyunderwood2849]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO. I WAS ABOUT 10 OR 11. LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. THANK YOU. A TIME OF REST AND GOODNESS.

[@BigTrainBuff]

I was born in Wheeling in 1939. Grew up in Point Pleasant. Graduated from High School there in 1957. Left for college out of state after high school and never came back except for family short time visits. I was ambitious and looked out of the state for opportunities. That plan worked well for me. I’ll always love the people, at least the way they were then.The culture is well depicted in this video. The most common name for people was “cousin.”Individualism and libertarianism were trademarks of the culture. Political corruption was fairly common and it held the state back economically. The infamous Democrat Flower Fund was typical. The scenery is spectacular. But the tourist industry is still.underdeveloped. I think WV was the greatest place in the world to grow up, especially in the 1950’s.

[@onemanwalking]

Take me back to these days

[@hoosierladyus48]

I'm not from Virginia, I was born and raised in Indiana, but seeing all of this makes me miss the way things were back in the day. It just isn't the same now and I truly do miss it.

[@aarondigby5054]

Indiana's the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state.

[@the_gilded_age_phoenix8717]

@@aarondigby5054 It's the Mississippi of the North.

[@trishlilly7863]

Wow a really well done video. Please post more! TY.

[@henriettadenzig8743]

I was born and raised in west Virginia after leaving at a young age I visited relatives often.

[@GrandmaGodwin]

I enjoyed every minute of this! It is wonderful that we have this documentation, the images and the voices of prominent West Virginians and their perspective and the progress of our state.

[@FawleyJude]

Thanks for this, I enjoyed it very much. My folks were from around Montgomery, my dad was a WWII vet who lost his job at the mine in the early '50s, so they had to leave the state for him to find work. This documentary gave me a good picture of what life was like for them at that time. Instead of going to Ohio or Michigan they moved to Texas in 1953. My dad found work in shipyards in Houston and Galveston. I was born in Galveston in 1956, so I never lived in West Virginia but we would travel back there every summer to visit relatives. My dad's family stayed in West Virginia but my mom's brothers both left (one went to Ohio, the other to California). My mom's parents stayed in West Virginia because my grandfather ran one of those coal digging machines so he was able to stay employed.

[@staffordlee1430]

Helpful view into WV’s history for this new resident! Thank you.

[@blumerlredpilledgirl8958]

I wish I could have shown th is to my parents. They and I were born in Huntington we moved to Calif wish we didn’t.

[@donolbers9446]

Growing up in Athens, I got to see the difference between Parkersburg to the east, and Mason to the south. After many years, Ohio finally made good on it's promise to build a road to Ravenswood's "bridge to nowhere", and after 20 years away from my native SE Ohio, got to see what a huge difference the good roads to the South and East made. US Routes 50 and 33 were once deadly two-lanes, now efficient freeways.

[@AsphaltMan11]

@50:17 The town you see in that frame, Welch WV, is an absolute ghost town now. We as a State have been used and abused by every form of industrialization to come along, first the railroads, then the timber and followed by coal and now Natural Gas, , but we survive, Montani Semper Liberi , we will ALWAYS be.

[@janetturner6771]

Very well done !

[@blumerlredpilledgirl8958]

My dad from Huntington was in the army in the Korean War. He went while still in high school, Huntington High, James Waldie Brangham.

[@ericgilhart5951]

Amazing show I was born and raised in west Virginia where I still call home and probably always will

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Goodnight john boy !!!

[@deerandall2661]

Graduated Parkersburg HS, Go Big Reds!

[@luannyates5199]

We listened to WFLI and the mc Peanut from Chicago in the evening after supper dishes were done.

[@SeekerOfTheTruth00]

Gone are the Good Ole Days...

[@merfwriter]

My Mom was born in Wheeling, WV, in 1951.

[@jamesanonymous2343]

WEST VIRGINIA IS A DAMN GOOD PLACE TO "BE FROM", AS LONG AS IT GOT YOU GOIN "ELSEWHERE"

[@maryduffney8131]

I did not know this about WVA. I was born there, left in sixty, went back for visits, but never knew this about the schools, but when I was there, there was no black people, where I lived, my parents or teachers never talked about it , well they say you are never to old to learn guess they were right, thanks for this video, can't believe how much I did not know about my beautiful WVA.

[@FigaroHey]

'Censorship of what you were allowed to see in the movies and see in magazines.' Liberal-speak for 'it was a time of common decency and common sense and personal responsibility for the sake of the public good.'

[@alanaadams7440]

Well said

[@user-cp1mh9ud9k]

Ann at minute 2 is ageless ❤

[@jamesstover1747]

West Virginia is God's Beautiful country ❤️

[@johnjones4096]

With the exception of the racism, it was a much simpler time. To be fair racism was rampant throughout the country. West Virginia was kept poor no matter what color you are

[@sailorgirl4life197]

Still is! It's a real shame.

[@mattcobb5493]

Where's our reparations from the coal mines, timber industry an natural gas companies, they have took shit from the state of w.v and it's people for last 100 years without the people benefitting any from it other than scraping by and dieing young.

[@mattcobb5493]

Then the chemical plants finished w.v people off what the other company didn't take.

[@shawnholts5119]

I’m 🎉🎉🎉🎉😊

[@lrn_news9171]

Can you guys watch anything without talking about muh racism

[@samuelestepp725]

I was born in Holden in Logan county WV in 1950 and when I pass I’ll be buried in the Estepp cemetery up 27 holler (hollow).

[@natashaallison5879]

Sir can you please explain if "holler" means the road is so short you can "holler" for the kids to come back?

[@samuelestepp725]

@@natashaallison5879 that’s the way mountain folks pronounce hollow

[@angelatoler4269]

From Logan County Wv and wouldn’t go anywhere else almost heaven born and raised in Logan County WV

[@angelatoler4269]

@@samuelestepp725 and I have mined coal for 23 years now and I make over hundred thousand a year

[@ZimbaZumba]

Modernity has destroyed a sense of community. We can put a man on the moon but can we rebuild community? - a far more difficult task.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Where I live in spain there still is a sense of community, it's priceless

[@chloeew4627]

Once family is treated as a drain on modern so called advancement ,society is finished.😢

[@eunicestone838]

He probably still trying to shop for $10. Haha. My husband had no concept of food and cleaning supplies.

[@lindalauer1434]

Woah.. my mother dated a Mercer & my husband was born in 68.

[@rayfridley6649]

In West Virginia, local politicians talk along party lines.....whether its their ring or not.

[@laurelemery4730]

Kindness, hospitality, look at those prices!

[@laurelemery4730]

Also, people dressed well

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

They needed to show more snake handlers, and such. Also discuss some unique mountainisms like "pecker wood." Also discuss union miners etc.

[@vincentperratore4395]

Did they, though? And you call yourself a doctor!

[@tundrawomansays5067]

There’s a number of KZbins available for your perusal including the various dialects one hears throughout Kentucky. Additionally, I’m sure they (state library system) would love to have you as a state subscriber which gives you free access to any book available in your state and will help you track down some way of finding any other particular book, OK? If it’s been published, we in your local library just happened to not be aware of it. We’ll get it for ya, promise! Best Wishes, my friend!

[@Justice4547]

You’re disappointed with the real way of life of West Virginian’s?

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

@@Justice4547 Come on, of course not. I loved there for a couple of years. Very interesting and cool people. Yes, they do have snake handlers, speaking I'm tongues, and pecker wood. If you have lived there, you'd never know how they really feel about you. The miners and loggers. Fascinating, but born the wrong time.

[@luannyates5199]

My dad worked for UMWs

[@luannyates5199]

We were poor but didn’t know it. Happy, fed and a roof over our heads.

[@timothyvandyke-lc1oi]

My family came too Virginia from Holland down the Appalachian trail .so We traded with native American people who lived there. AT A PLACE CALLED WOLF CREEK .BUTDURING WWII MY FAMILYMOVED TO BALTO MD.BUT AFTER THEWAR WE MOVED BACK TO BECKLEY.WEST VIRGINIA. WE HAD A STORE THIS WAS IN 1960. I CAN REMBER HOW STEEP THE ROADS WERE.LOL.LOL.NICE LIVE.

[@charliehenderson38]

West Virginia is the best place!!!

[@user-ez5xj9bh6i]

I was born place called Chashes Hill WV. 1951, near Island Creek back in the Hill,past Anthens Concord Collage.we had our own School house,only went to the 8th grade .my grandfather was half white,my grandmother Cherokee. We were a Black community, the state School Commission closed our school in 1965 bus us to all White School Pipestem wv.8th grade only,then to Hinton High, go Bobcats.it was very hard .I never knew the different between white or black. I made good friends at Pipestem. The Spanlers,Medows,packs Lions, Nellie's, finish high school,in Hinton Wv. No jobs in west Virgina. So I join The USAF. Best thing I ever did, I had four ceareefield, worked launchpad space Schulte. I come home when I can. I really miss my Friend BOW BUTTLER. My name is KELLEY DAVIDSON Jr I live in UTAH, HILL A F BASE. One day I would love to make a movie of my Travels around the World. And to all my friends in WV. GOD BLESS there Souls 44:57

[@glennnile7918]

You can never go home.

[@barbarawinters6844]

Has anyone focused on other decades in the 20th century?

[@SubCultureVulture702]

Two years?!?! To what? Repair and dig out? These people did not build but inherited most the infrastructure of this country !

[@jandeband]

Why bring up the bad things, everything has a bad side, look for the good and not the bad ❤❤❤, i was born in w va, never should have left, but like so many others, i left thinking there were better things on the other side of the mountain, i was wrong, i lived with tears in my eyes, for many years, longing for home, im 79 now, still longing for w va, so all you w va bashers, ive lived in a few places, none are perfect.❤

[@luannyates5199]

Where I grew up there were no African American people. We only saw them when we drove 60 miles to the city. My parents never said anything about the race difference. Us 5 kids didn’t think about it.

[@user-wr1yh2zw6l]

Yep

[@eunicestone6532]

West By God Virginia.

[@lisabarger7013]

Could sure use more D Sensorship Now Day's ,Way To Much Filth in Magazines TV Show, Everywhere, so sad that people are falling for the evils of the World and Worldly Thing's!!!!!

[@davidkaul6180]

My dad was from Charleston west by God Virginia lol he was

[@boknows3841]

Back when everyone worked if you made a little mountain dew nobody cared. When you took the jobs away and the guys came home from Vietnam alcohol was replaced with dope and the druggie who didn't want to work or couldn't find work turned to illegal drugs to earn money without having to work a real job and the honest people paid the price. It's pretty bad when Walmart cannot stay in business because they cannot afford the cost of business which they cannot make a profit when the druggie are stealing from them. Only a small family owned store can survive in that environment and they pay a premium price for everything because of that. Too many people living too far apart from each other to even afford to build a pizza place or some place nice for the kids.

[@dickritchie2596]

They didn’t say too much about Mercer County.

[@isisaphrodite3585]

Aww, that’s where I live and my entire family is from Mercer. I just started watching the video, and was hoping Mercer County would be mentioned more

[@dickritchie2596]

@@isisaphrodite3585 R U related to Charles Duff? Nickname Duck? 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@deanmatson299]

West Virginia was

[@eunicestone6532]

My grandfather was a klansman.

[@PamelaFeist-sb7ti]

I think the big difference was our country wasn't being ran by

[@PamelaFeist-sb7ti]

Corporations.

[@lilysandoval1975]

This Fine Lady in Yellow , Very Nice Paper - Weight Collection 😘

[@kenhubbard3390]

Hey you got to remember those ole boys Still chew a lot of tobacco in that state

[@kenhubbard3390]

There is your first mistake owning a dam Ford in the 60 ties when the bowties could run off an hide from you

[@tyronejones7341]

Detroit is a messed up city while Appalachia is amessed up region !!!!!!.

[@sukruergin654]

No African Americans in whole State?

[@jasong428]

Almost all either blended into the larger communities they lived in or moved to Cleveland.

[@dezzymonique1177]

they showed black people toward the end...my family is from there also

[@TheBobbybbc]

There are some. Randy Moss and Steve Harvey are West Virginia natives.

[@nickknickerbocker6415]

👍👈

[@danaproske1072]

When did coal become big there

[@MariAdkins]

about the same time it did in kentucky - mid-1800s

[@LauraVee63]

When Joe Manchin was born.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

2020, don't you remember?

[@eunicestone838]

I lived there in 60s and 70s . Coal was KING. Big pay. Unions and strikes. Killings and fights you name it. WV was a hotbed in that time trying to make coal operators pay and unions were almost as corrupt as everyone else. Then coal started shutting down. Small towns shut down and drugs took over. In 90- now opiates were King and meth is taking over now. It's a very poor region. The people there barely survive. Yet they won't leave. Iv e tried to get my daughter to leave but she's stuck up a holler with a man and his mother whom he's afraid to leave. They have a son. It's a rough life. The son will not leave his mother due to fact she lives in a rural area and it's not safe. I understand that and can only hope they can get by.

[@Justice4547]

@@eunicestone838 what part of WV are you referring to, exactly? We survive very well here. I have a 4 bathroom home on 5 acres, and a refrigerator full of food. People make their own choices. You can either choose to do drugs or have a home. It has nothing to do with “West Virginia.” Are you saying, your daughter is on drugs? I’m confused. So, you’re saying, your daughter chooses to live for free, with her boyfriend under his mother’s roof, because she chooses to spend her money on drugs? Is that right? Either, that’s what you’re saying or you’re implying that your daughter isn’t very bright. Poverty is a choice. It’s harder for people who don’t have opportunities, I know that from experience. I lost my father when I was a little girl, and I was the youngest of 6 kids… So, we didn’t have a lot of choices, and zero opportunities… But we had determination. That’s the difference. My middle brother started his own business and bought both of his daughters a new home, and cars. My eldest brother recently retired from Columbia gas and bought a beautiful home on Hilton Head island. My second to oldest has saved every extra dime he’s made over the last 45 yrs and has a stockbroker who comes to his home on a weekly basis. He’s loaded, but you’d never know it. My twin and youngest brother passed away in 2012 but he was a steel worker and made very good money. My 4th brother was also a steel worker, and a foreman for decades. I worked in finance… my mother came to me whenever she needed money. Which was rare, but she did. I was happy to be able to help my mother. Very proud. My mom didn’t have to ask for anything. I always made sure she had what she needed. But she’s ask if there was something she wanted. None of us are college educated… and All but 2 live in WV. None of my brothers were coal miners either. Your life depends on your choices!

[@yellowstoneloyal8186]

Good grief, to much music

[@nevertoopoortotour.3033]

Never too poor to tour

[@nevertoopoortotour.3033]

WV❤WV

[@user-uv3yc5bn7o]

"Not so good for black people" ? That is the stupidest remark I have ever heard.

[@terikline748]

Programming much!

[@chocolateamethyst]

Nothing romantic about this era, especially if you were black!!!

[@mikejones-jk3ts]

The turnpike was a waste of money for us people that had to pay for it that don't even live there it was stupid that's why Ohio and Virginia didn't want to have tolls on the road was a smart thing

[@yellowstoneloyal8186]

Lighten up Francis