So an interesting historical aside… Malden, WV was settled soon after Cedar Grove just a bit up river. The settlers further down discovered an abundant natural resource that was far more valuable than coal even… salt! The salt mines and refineries of the Kanawha valley were established in “Kanawha Salines” a town that was later renamed Malden. The Kanawha Salines post office was established to serve the area in 1814. This was how many towns in the US got their start at the time. Danville, WV further south, is named for it’s first resident who also happened to be the first postmaster. Booker T. Washington spent part of his childhood there. Both of these events would have profound ramifications for the area later on.
First Booker T. Washington had already established a legacy at Tuskegee Institute when he recommended close friend Byrd Prillerman to be the first president of the newly formed West Virginia Colored Institute in the planned town of Institute, WV. Washington was even a guest lecturer at the school many times in its formative years and he helped guide the school’s mission as established by the second Morrill Act of 1890. He wanted to have an emphasis on self-reliance and emphasized skills such as agriculture and sewing along traditional academic and educational fields. The West Virginia Colored Institute evolved through the years to become one of only two HBCU’s in the state: West Virginia State College now University. The other being Bluefield State College. Both of West Virginia’s traditional HBCU’s are now majority white student body population when the campus population is taken as a whole, but schools do still serve the African American community in the state and beyond with a diverse on campus population. I am an alumnus of WVSU having received my undergraduate RBA in music education 2011.
The salt industry had a different impact on the area, it resulted in an early economic and population boom. This important chemical also led to the establishment of many chemical plants during the early part of the 20th century. Boyed by the easily defendable inland port that flows from the Kanawha to the Ohio to the Mississippi to the Gulf. The rail industry had already carved inroads into the state from the south with the coal industry and the north with the steel industry. If you think of the state of West Virginia as having grown south from Wheeling it makes a little more sense. No wonder Charleston and Wheeling traded the WV Capitol back and forth like a sordid ex. During WW1 the US government established a number of industrial developments in the area that continue to be used to this day. At one time the companies that became Dow, Union Carbide, and Dupont had their national headquarters and laboratories in the area. This also led to the establishment of WV Tech in Montgomery as a research arm for those companies to develop talent.
Just a little history and context for you to enjoy while Riding With Me!
