If a person was standing on a nearby hilltop with the sun beaming down on the verdant beauty of the area, it wouldn’t take much imagination to visualize the Von Trapp children romping and playing and singing as they did in real life and in the movie, “The Sound of Music.”
It takes a closer look and a little living in the area to fully appreciate some of the features of this l04-year-old seat of Mingo County.
Members of the Williamson Kiwanis Club recently were treated to an informative talk by well-known businesswoman Linda (Hatfield) Van Meter about the Williamson Historic District. Instead of looking at some of the city’s oldest buildings as fodder for the wrecking ball, she reviewed some of the old buildings’ architectural features.
Along the way, she explained the purpose of the Williamson Historical Foundation, of which she is a member. The main objective of the organization, she told Kiwanians, “is to preserve the historical and architectural heritage of the community of Williamson so that the future may learn from our past.”
The WHF is affiliated with the West Virginia Humanities Council and is based at 146 Oak St. Another member of the group is Mrs. Nancy “Bunky” Smith of that address.
The Foundation is stressing the importance of having documentation and records of the past recorded so there is a foundation and proof of the past whose generations are forebearers or links with today’ s citizens.
Ms. Van Meter related what historic things have survived today. She, Mrs. Smith, Jim Hayes, Larry Hurley and Randy Rhodes make up the small group.
They would like to have more participation in preserving this city’s history and everyone is welcome to attend the WHF/s meetings, which will be announced from time to time.
She told Kiwanians of the cost involved in putting together a color pamphlet, “Williamson Historic District’s Self-Guided Tour.” These are available at the Coal House, City Hall and The Brass Tree to persons who will use them instead of discarding them. for no further use.
Randy Rhodes, director of music at the East Williamson Baptist Church and a musician and singer in his own right, did the photography and design work for the pamphlet and “performed a very fine professional job,” said Van Meter.
The pamphlet features a number of photos, including one showing the Williamson Historic District in a view looking east over Fifth Avenue. There also are photos of the Chief Logan statue and fountain at the Coal House; closeup photos of architectural features of 13 buildings; houses, churches and the historic Williamson cemetery dating back to the 1800s.
In a self-guided tour boosted by the pamphlet, visitors or even permanent residents can absorb much of the history of Williamson. There are many beautiful retaining stone walls of masonry construction, executed both in brick and stone, to be found throughout the district. They were built by Italian stonemasons, Joe Ramella and Robert Zando. Some date 1892 and after. And, there still are some brick streets that survived time’s wear and tear.
In the College Hill area, a metal entry gate bearing the initials LBC and manufactured by the Stuart Iron Works of Cincinnati, Ohio, is of interest to the visitor. A photo of the gate is shown along with a self-guided tour map in the pamphlet.
While much of written history of Williamson and Mingo County is lacking, there is enough to whet the imagination of any tourist. As the pamphlet notes, the area that became Williamson was originally part of
Montgomery County, Va. In 1824, this area became a part of Logan County, W. Va., a county named for the native American chief of the Mingo tribe, one of several Indian tribes to use the area as hunting and fishing grounds prior to 1800. Mingo was separated from Logan in 1895 and became its own county named for the Mingo Indian tribe.
As late as the 1890s, the land upon which Williamson developed was little more than open fields. The Foundation’s informative pamphlet provides a thumbnail history of successive development of the city, the railroad, mines and other industries and businesses.
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