Introduction
Geographically the southernmost of the fifty-five (55) counties representing the State of West Virginia, McDowell County is located deep within the Appalachian Mountains, west of the Bluefield area and east of Pikeville, Kentucky. Today the poorest county in the United States of America per capita, the region is historically known for coal mining operations, along with nearby regions in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. The coalfields are of cultural and historical significance because of resource extraction, in which the communities have depended on such a monoculture to thrive.
Context
The Town of Welch serves as the county seat of McDowell, the southernmost county located in the State of West Virginia, with the Jack Caffrey Arts and Cultural Center representing the primary tourist attraction for the local community. To the west along Route 52 is the Wilmore Dam, most notable for the ATV culture of the surrounding area; however, even the industry of tourism has not successfully enabled the distressed county to recover in any way.
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