This 1932 image shows the City of Logan in its zenith when business was thriving and the sidewalks were crowded with shoppers. Employment was up and establishments such as Guyan Valley Bank, State Restaurant, Lewis Furniture, Beckett Furniture, Pioneer Hotel, Smoke House Restaurant, Aracoma Hotel, and Midelburg Theater were experiencing a time of prosperity due to the boom in the local coal industry.
LOGAN, W.Va. — Coal Heritage Week in Logan has been a retrospective experience for many residents as classic cars lined the street outside of the courthouse, self-guided walking tours and storefront posters informed passersby of a building’s history and a play celebrating mountain life and culture landed in the middle of its run at the Coalfield Jamboree. Coal Heritage Week will be drawing to a close on April 4. However, the history associated with many of the buildings of downtown Logan is still available on storefront posters throughout town, and some of the information about the bustling era of our town could be surprising to learn.
For instance, a poster in the storefront of Dan and Dave’s Sporting Goods on Main Street explains a short history of the Logan Indians minor league baseball team that played between 1937 and 1942. The poster features images and facts sourced from Keith Davis and states, “The Logan Indians were a Mountain State League minor league team. In 1939, it was an affiliate with the Cleveland Indians. Managed by Ed Hock from 1938 to 1941, the team appeared in the league finals three times during that span, winning the championship in 1941.”
A poster in the storefront of the Hot Cup coffee shop on Stratton Street tells the story of the Aracoma Hotel which caught fire in 2010…