Logan (West Virginia)

Logan is a city of 1,500 people (2019) in West Virginia. The city occupies narrow stretches of flat land along the Guyandotte River and it's local tributaries, abutting extremely steep hills. Once anchored by the coal mining industry, It is known for its connection to the notorious Hatfield-McCoy feud.

As many of the local coal seams have been mined to empty, the number of people employed in the mineral extraction industry has declined. This has resulted in noticeable population decline for several decades.

Understand

The town was chartered in 1852 as Aracoma, after the daughter of a Shawnee chief, and renamed in 1907 after the Mingo chief Logan.

The area around Logan (specifically Williamson) was home to the Hatfield-McCoy feud, which started with a dispute about the ownership of a pig and escalated until over a dozen members of the two families had been murdered. The Hatfield family was from West Virginia (the McCoys being just across the border in Kentucky), and the family patriarch, William Anderson aka Devil Anse, is buried in the area.

Logan's downtown appears large for a city of its population because Logan contains many suburban areas that not incorporated into the city proper. Logan County, of which Logan is the primary city, had a population of 32,567 at the 2020 census.

Get in

Logan is on WV-10, just east of US-119 which runs between Charleston and Pikeville, Kentucky.

Get around

WV-10 goes through the heart of Logan, US-119 skirts the downtown area less than 3 miles to the west.

Notable suburban towns include Chapmanville to the north, where WV-10 and US-119 intersect; and Man to the south, where WV-80 south towards Gilbert begins at WV-10.

See
  • 🌍 Hatfield Cemetery, WV-44 near Sarah Ann. Approximately 100 yards up a steep hillside from the main road is the Hatfield family cemetery. The highlight of the burial ground is the grave of "Devil Anse" Hatfield, which is marked with a life-sized Italian marble statue that he commissioned in 1920 for $3500. (updated May 2023)
  • 🌍 West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, 401 Mate Street, Matewan, ☏ +1 304-691-0014. W-Sa 10AM-5PM. Tucked in the remote mountains along the West Virginia/Kentucky border, this museum tells the little-known story of the huge wars fought between striking coal miners and law enforcement trying to break their strike. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest insurrection in the USA since the American Civil War, and the US Army was brought in to crush it. 

Do
  • 🌍 Chief Logan State Park, 376 Little Buffalo Creek Rd, ☏ +1 304-792-7125. A 4,000-acre park with campground, restaurant, outdoor amphitheater, and wildlife center. Visitors can hike 18 miles of trails, enjoy the swimming pool with waterslide, and play tennis or miniature golf. The park hosts performances throughout the warmer months, including "The Aracoma Story" about Aracoma, and Civil War re-enactments. Campground is open March to November, with 25 units, $23/night. Admission to pool $4.50, for miniature golf $3. 
  • Hatfield and McCoy Trails, toll-free: +1-800-592-2217. Open daily, sunrise to sunset. Over 500 miles of trails available for ATV riding. Yearly permits for 2021 cost $26.50 for West Virginia residents and $50 for non-residents. 
  • Chapmanville Apple Butter Festival, Chapmanville High School in Chapmanville, ☏ +1 304-855-4582. Held one weekend in late September. Apple butter making, merchandise booths, food and live entertainment.

Learn

Buy

Eat
  • Chirico's Ristorante, 24 Main Avenue, ☏ +1 304-752-8900. Traditional Italian-American dishes. 
  • Giovanni's Pizza, 617 Main Avenue, ☏ +1 304-752-9030. Pizza, spaghetti and sandwiches. 
  • Morrison's Drive Inn, 126 Stollings Avenue, ☏ +1 304-752-9872. Burgers, hot dogs and onion rings. 
  • Reno's Roadhouse, 105 Nick Savas Drive, ☏ +1 304-752-9336. Appetizers, salads, soups, steaks, chicken, ribs and chops, fish, burgers and sandwiches, and desserts. 

Sleep

Go next
  • Gilbert is just over half an hour south on WV-80
  • Williamson is just over half an hour south on US-119
  • Charleston is a little over 1 hour northeast on US-119.
  • Huntington is a little over 1.5 hours northwest on WV-10.
  • Pineville is 1 hour southeast on WV-10
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