Kimball, WV about 1910
In 1889, N&W was building down the Elkhorn Valley and by 1891 had reached an area they named East Vivian, Vivian and West Vivian.
East Vivian is the location of the community of Vivian today and is where the Peerless Coal & Coke Company incorporated Feb. 4, 1892 and built their mining complex and community. Vivian is where the N&W began building a rairoad yard facility in 1891.
West Vivian was situated at the west end of the railyard and homes, along with some businesses began springing up there.
In 1893, the N&W began calling this community Kimball and it was named in honor or Fredrick Kimball, the president of the N&W Railroad. As the community grew and more businesses were opened, Kimball was incorporated as a town in December 1906.
Today, only the folks who have studied the railroad and coal mining history down the Elkhorn Valley between Maybeury and Welch would know that Kimball was first known as West Vivian.
Kimball is a town in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 145.[4]
Kimball was incorporated in 1911 and named for Frederick J. Kimball, a railroad official.[5] Kimball is the site of the first war memorial building erected in memory of the African-American veterans of World War I.[6]
The Kimball mining disaster took place on July 18, 1919, at the Carswell coal mine in Kimball, killing six miners.[7] Initial reports said that 221 men had been killed, but they were trapped by the explosion. A rescue party was able to dig through the wreckage, allowing 215 to return alive to the surface.[8]
( Enhanced photographs provided by : Buddy French )
The War Memorial in Kimball, McDowell, County, WV was erected to honor Black veterans who fought in World War I.
KIMBALL WAR MEMORIAL ( ANOTHER SITE )
