Published: April 19, 2008 06:52 pm      

Well-known former McDowell residents appalled by the crumbling of Coalwood

COALWOOD - Historic landmarks in Coalwood are crumbling much to the dismay of the original Rocket Boys of McDowell County.

The old Coalwood Company Store, a structure that has been vacant since 1980, was demolished about three weeks ago. The demolition of the historic landmark makes “no sense,” and could hurt tourism efforts in Coalwood, Homer Hickam, author of the popular Coalwood memoirs and the focus of the 1999 motion picture “October Sky,” said.

“To destroy this historic town, building by building, is a terrible thing to witness,” Hickam said. “Not only does it rip away the heritage of those of us who grew up there, it also ends any possibility of ever turning Coalwood into a prosperous town with a tourist industry.’

Roy Lee Cooke, also one of the original Rocket Boys of McDowell County, said he learned of the demolition after the fact last week. The Rocket Boys would often refer to the structure as the “big” store.

“My memories of buying all sorts of things at the company store............from a milk shake to a Christmas tree, to clothes are still in my mind,” Cooke said. “I lived in the Substation area of Coalwood when I was in high school and often walked to the company (Big) store. And don't forget, across the way was the building (already torn down) that housed the post office, dentist office and doctor's office as well as the town barber.”

Cooke said the community deserved a forewarning of the pending demolition.

Hickam said to the best of his knowledge, no one was alerted to the pending demolition. Hickam said the old company store was on the National Historic Registry.

“Will the destruction of the company store stop the October Sky Festival in 2008?” Hickam said. “No, but it certainly leaves a huge gap in downtown Coalwood that will have to be explained. If the destruction continues, I fear the festival will feel like dancing on a grave.”

Bob Silvers, manager of Alawest, Inc., the land company that owned the company store, said the structure was demolished about three weeks ago because it posed a threat to public safety.

“It posed a hazard to the safety of anyone near it,” Silvers said. “It was beyond repair. The roof was basically falling in.”

Silvers said once the roof started caving in — a repair of the structure became increasingly difficult.

“It was beyond economic repair,” Silvers said. “The biggest thing was the roof. Once the roof started caving in that is what you have to be concerned about.”

Silvers said there are other buildings owned by the land company that may have to be demolished in the future.

Hickam said the Rocket Boys are concerned about the old club house and machine shop as well, both of which are featured prominently in the Coalwood memoirs and the 1999 motion picture “October Sky.”

Although historic landmarks are threatened, Hickam said the future still holds renewed promise for tourism growth in Coalwood.

“It is my hope that when the Coalfields Expressway is finally built, there will be an exit into Coalwood, allowing all of the people who would love to visit the town get in there much easier,” Hickam said. “If that happens, the economic possibilities are enormous, similar to Hannibal, Miss., the location of the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn novels of Mark Twain.”

David Goad, a former resident of Coalwood and author of “Coalwood: A History of West Virginia Mining Communities of Coalwood, Caretta and Six,” said Coalwood is rich with history that should be preserved.

“I go down there all of the time,” Goad said. “I guess it is my passion of trying to keep the history of the town alive.”

Goad said Hickam’s memoirs and the “October Sky” movie helped to put Coalwood on the map. Goad said it is not unusual to see visitors from outside of the area in Coalwood on any given weekend.

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com