Edit: There is an East Williamson! It’s where a massive train yard is so I apologize for getting that wrong. Again I’m not from here and only had 1 day so I tried my best to get all the details right but messed a few thing up.. If you're from the area and I got any other details wrong be sure to correct me! I loved spending the day in Williamson and I plan on coming back this fall for a full weekend and renting an ATV to hit the Hatfield and McCoy trails. Thank you for watching!

Hey young man, excellent job, and don't worry bout any small mistakes. I grew up 9 miles from there in a smaller town of Delbarton. My wife was born in that hospital, I however, was born across the river at the other hospital. My momma worked at the Board of Education for 44 years. Being your dad graduated in 75, hell tell you that back then you couldn't get through that town there were so many folks there. So, your dad can also tell you, that the little mall the built across the river was the downfall of Williamson. All the businesses basically moved over there, and all the folks went over there to shop.

I’ve been there! I worked a hospital out there Tug Valley regional on the Kentucky side of the border. Very scenic highways to get there out of Pikeville where I was staying! Great video

Like other Appalachian towns, Williamson was too dependent on one industry which was coal mining. When the market for coal fell out, mines closed and these communities suffered greatly.

My great-grandfather Sam Sene came to live in Williamson around 1914. He died in 1954 in Logan and is buried there. Thank you for showing me the place, since being Italian I never went there. The nature looks great to me. Very green. It's similar to the Alps in Piedmont, Italy, where I live. Unfortunately, the economy doesn't seem to be thriving, at least in that particular region of WV. The only difference between where I live and this area is the buildings: over here, there are churches that are a thousand years old and stone houses, covered with stone. Also, the sheds are in special areas outside the urban center. Instead, there it looks like an urbanistic mess to me. Perhaps the area could have tourism potential, but it should be completely rethought.

Lived in Williamson from 11/82 to 5/83 while working for WBTH/WXCC. For a city boy from NJ it was a real eye opener. I remember shopping at the Piggly Wiggly, A&P and the Williamson Sundry Store. Used to broadcast basketball games at the fieldhouse. Great atmosphere. That was the era of Mark Cline.

I am from there, well the area. I lived in Williamson during my senior year and graduated that closed highschool you showed earlier. This brings back a lot of memories.

WV is just incredibly beautiful wow

Williamson holds a special spot in my heart. I lived there when I was little. My parents graduated from WHS in 1966 and my dad was a member of those great basketball teams in 1964-66. Truly sad to see how much is gone.

Much like most towns in Southern WV, Williamson is a shadow of its former self but it still has its charm! This was the first town that captured the eye of my young eyes. Great vid!

Very well done! I enjoyed this a lot thanks for sharing Mark

Home sweet home. You're Dad probably remembers my cousin Vanessa Maynard from WHS. I went to Matewab high. As a kid we all got dressed up to go to town... ie Williamson

This was awesome to watch! I love this so much. I was born and raised here. I moved away 25 years ago but all my family still live there so I visit often.

Williamson is in West Virginia, South Williamson (crossing the Tug River) leads you into Kentucky. But Downtown Williamson is the County Seat of Mingo County of WV

Love the video I am a Williamson and my dad always told me our family started that town never been there but always wanted to visit now I kinda feel like I have thanks

Hey great video don’t worry about any of the small mistakes Keep up the vids 👍

Great video Mark!!! I really enjoyed watching it. Little towns are becoming extinct.

Beautiful city thank you!

Just watched this, wonderful video...totally agree this is a wonderful place and can't wait to visit again.

Percy is beautiful I don't have any children a beautiful diverse community and a wholesome Community raising their children again to be honest Brave and thankful

Starters is the place to go, whenever we're in town!! And the mountaineer is always great!! We usually stayed at a bed and breakfast right down the street right beside the post office it's not there anymore We loved it so sad

Your dad probably knows my family! My grandpa taught at WHS and all of my moms family went there. It was still great in the 80s but I cried when I went back in 2006. Still only place that feels like home to me.

Born in that hospital! And attended the ‘old’ school with entrance for males and another for females, cool wood floors before switching to the newly built school which was so high tech. Thank you for sharing

Great drive through and commentary Mark. A few notes.....First the double stack container train you mentioned is part of Norfolk Southern's Heartland Corridor from Chicago, IL to Norfolk, VA and runs several intermodal trains each week. Second, there is an East Williamson, Williamson CBD, West Williamson, Fairview (beyond West Williamson) all in West Virginia and a South Williamson in Kentucky. The floodwalls were constructed by the Corps of Engineers as a result of the April 1977 flood and got started in West Williamson in 1982. You didn't point these out but there are some interesting graphics cast into the floodwalls in the West Williamson (swimming pool and baseball players) and South Williamson (horse race) sections (go see Matewan, WV). Also at the <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1265">21:05</a> mark of the video there is a large brown house on the left that happened to be the first of several hundred homes raised (floodproofing program) in the Tug Fork Valley between 1985 and 1994. I was honored to be on that project team during those years and spent many days in Williamson, South Williamson and Matewan working on the floodproofing program and designing graphics for the floodwalls. Thanks for showing this video.

Hey i live here! Just across the street from the old hospital, in the little brick house !! 😊 nice video man

born in Pikeville but ended up in south Williamson short street before I was given away

Hey i really loved your drone shots, fantastic view. I am impressed that you hiked up the old way to Death Rock the way we use to. I always took a canteen and my Kodak camera to capture the view. I am not going to pile on about East Williamson but I would say that Williamson was a railroad town not a coal town.

My mother and older sister went to Belfry High school

I'm from South Williamson, Ky. I was 7 years old when the flood of 77 happened. It wiped out Williamson and South Williamson and was considered the worse flood to hit the Tug River. We lived in Leckieville, but one of the few fortunate ones to live on a hill. We had so many people staying with us I can't even begin to remember the exact number. But, it was a 2 story house and we had people staying through out the house and basement as well. The train derailed and was barely hanging to the tracks and had it fallen into the river, even us safe on the hills would have had to flee into the mountains. I remember like it was yesterday, how scared everyone was, but seeing our neighbor's houses floating at the bottom of our hill was so heartbreaking. We moved in 1980 from there to another part of Ky and moved out of state in 1986. I was in first grade at South Williamson but we couldn't finish our school year there and was bused to Turkey Creek. Right before the flooding, my mom was at the ARH getting a cast off her leg and they barely got her to our house before she could have been stranded. Now, in regards to my memory..There are things I can't remember about everything I did just days or weeks before, but I don't think I will ever forget the flood of 77. So, yes that floodwall was very much needed and appreciated by the people who still live there. Different parts of the area still floods, last year..Belfry (where I went to highschool) flooded. But, it was nothing in comparison.

JFK stayed at the Mountaineer back in the day when coal was king and all the little towns on the railroad were thriving ....

I grew up there...my mom and sisters are from there...but we're really from NC/VA

My cousin is the Mayor of Williamson, I was born there in 1955, now live in Kingsport

Hey I live there

Did you check out the old coal house museum. Used to be the chamber of commerce

Oh the coal house

What are they doing with the old high school building?

What drone do you use ? I’ve been getting better myself I’ve already crashed one lol

Ask your dad if he knows any Hairstons.....Elbert or Vivian should have been around his age..or my Grandmother Zada Hairston

I was raised on east 4th Ave the east end of Williamson he said there was no east end what happen to it

I have a house on Mulberry St

It's Hillbilly Heaven

Without the coal mining jobs, there’s no money & it affects everything. That old hospital really is haunted.

The downtown area don't look to bad, it looks pretty good.

Worked for HUD setting up mobile homes after the flood of 77 in Williamson many other areas from Kermit to Bluefield , beautiful area good people !