A blast from the past: Ewing, Virginia.
Why I have not yet traveled the back roads of southwest Virginia is a mystery to me. While a modern four-lane highway meanders through the rolling farmlands of the Indian and Poor Creek valley, the old routes that occasionally split off offer a glimpse of a part of America that is being forgotten. An excellent case study is Ewing.
The Penn-Lincoln Hotel is an abandoned hotel in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania that is scheduled for demolition.
Several years ago, I embarked on a winding trip through the Winding Gulf coalfield of West Virginia, to explore and discover the history of this once-bustling part of the nation. The Winding Gulf coalfield rapidly developed in the early 20th century with the advent of deep underground mines that required thousands of miners—and their families.
Once a strategically important city at the juncture of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Cairo, Illinois is in terminal decline after decades of racial turbulence.
A view of the Cincinnati, Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad, the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad and a Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad spur.
5 Comments
Add Yours →I used to live in Ewing, I grew up there and my family still lives there I used to go in that store and buy candy I also went and saw movies in the Theatre on of the only things to do. The ones who owned it also owned the beauty salon and barber shop next door. When I go visit my family its sad my little town where I used to play on the railroad tracks which are now gone to put in the four lane ,is gone. It used to be a working town where you could go and see people you knew like family (basically the whole town) and they were living life. There used to be a supermarket there and it was replaced by a shoe store now boarded up like most things there. So sad I wished I could have money to make that town lively again.
Gloria Cheek
Wow. I think my uncle used to own this place. I remember visiting this place when my family vacationed here in the 60’s. Thanks.
The theatre?
I used to travel through here, enroute to my Aunt's in Pennington Gap from 1977-1985, my parents made the same journey beginning in 1966. This part of the world has always been special.
I also cover the region on American Byways at http://www.americanbyways.com/2011/05/16/surprise…. It's in relation to day one of four from my journey to Cumberland Gap.