Matewan

I just returned from Matewan, West Virginia, another small town I'd never visited until today.  You may have already heard of this town from the movie, "Matewan" directed by John Sayles of "Eight Men Out" and "Passion Fish" fame.  The movie explores the Coal Wars of the early 20th Century and their aftermath.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found there during my stop.  In contrast to so many other towns in this area that failed after the decline of the coal industry, Matewan has totally transformed itself into a popular tourist destination.  The hook is a fusion of coal mining history and the Hatfield and McCoy feud.  I'm particularly interested in the latter for obvious reasons.

These first five pictures are far from the most interesting ones but show the entrance to the town via its main street along with some nice buildings along the way.  Also, notice the reference to the feuding families, a reference you can see almost everywhere in town.