Bramwell, West Virginia Home of the Millionaires
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Bramwell, West Virginia in Mercer County once had the highest rate of millionaires per capita in the United States. The coal boom that hit the Pocahontas Fuel Company, in particular, made a lot of wealth for a lot of folks. View the full 21-minute video by joining our Patreon for as little as $1 at www.patreon.com/Appalachia
My wife and I visited Bramwell about 2 years ago. It's a beautiful town. The gentleman that owns the Perry House was sweeping the sidewalk and gutter in front of the house. We stopped and talked with him. He was the nicest guy you could ever want to meet. We also visited Pocahontas, VA and all the towns along Highway 52 from Bramwell to Iaeger, WV. We parked in the decaying old downtown of Iaeger and just sat there a while. I can not describe the feeling of just sitting there looking at all the abandoned commercial buildings. We stayed at the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre. Thanks for posting this video. I would love for you to post a video of Iaeger so I could share it with my friends. Thanks again. Paul from Springfield, TN
What a eerie looking town, no people in sight which is unusual, can you imagine how ghostly the town looks at night?
That's winter time in Bramwell all right. It gets very still and quiet here. Once the weather warms up a bit, you see the people moving around a lot more.
Until I read the comment I was totally oblivious to the fact there are NO people in these videos !!!!! Kind of like an X Files TV episode.......
This is the sad truth about this region but it's still winter. There are a few towns in this region that still are thriving but not many most are dead or dying. I'll spend the rest of my days watching the Richlands Claypool hill area turn into a ghost town but that's the least of my worries! Enjoy today cuz itll never get any better the great reset will see to that!
@@garysekura2290 yes until I saw those flags blowing in the breeze!
My best friend in military school was from Bramwell. I spent a great deal of time with him and his family. I have so many wonderful memories of that family and town. How I wish I could go back in time 50 years.
Was it MCA? In kingwood,WV ?
@@carolyn9andthecats653 Greenbriar Military School. My best buddy was George Craft from Bramwell.
The Appalachian Project My Mom and I Went on our hundreds of trips to WV there few a times Really neat Place wish now being old I lived there great Video Thank You!
Great work, Shane. Love seeing these old towns with rich history. I think they are forgotten about today and the kids today are not raised and taught the sacrifices that our ancestors made so we can live the lives we live today.
Like so many small towns in West Virginia it has seen it's better days.
Great video Shane that town was surprisingly quiet
I live in Tiptop Va. which is about 25 min away, and let me tell you all that dont know the area, Bramwell is a very beautiful place especially during Christmas and they do the Victorian house tours. Not sure if they are gonna do them this year with covid going around, but if yall need something to do I suggest that
I know it had its heyday period, but I can easily see the potential in this beautiful little town with its many storefronts downtown. Rebuild it with an emphasis on the rich culture and arts of WV. Many of those stores downtown could be turned into eating and arts establishments with small performing arts facilities indoors and outside that will attract Appalachian folk, old time, bluegrass, jazz and classical musicians to the area. Others can be combination art galleries and co-op stores, similar to what Ashville, NC has developed. Saratoga, NY is an example of what can be done that way and could be another "sister city" partner in Bramwell's regrowth. Bramwell is such a pretty town. Good luck in the future!
Absolutely, no place more beautiful than WVA but you have to have fast, reliable, and reasonably priced internet to make a business work today.
West Virginia is so pretty.
Yet so impoverished, how sad!
Sure is, and some wonderful ppl here too. If only we had a good govt lol
WV IS A BEAUTIFUL! BUT THE ECONOMY SUCKS! I MOVED FROM THERE FOR THAT & THE FACT I HATE COLD!
My dad was born in Morgan Town WV.
@THE BEST CHANNEL Productions I wouldn't wander off the main highway. Just the opinion of a Northern Virginian.
I’ve lived in McDowell my whole life and I had no idea that Bramwell was an actual town. We pass by Bramwell when we go to Bluefield.
Beautiful old town and buildings! Doesn't look like much goes on here at all. Thanks for sharing
Hey ya'll my brother had a tv shop right down from Pinnacle Rock I think that's what it's called I saw a lot of big trucks come down that mountain scared the hell out of me his shop was Bernards TV that was 45 years ago since I've been there god bless from a Native Son west Virginia I left there 40 years ago miss it everyday
I lived in Bramwell from age 11 until age 23. We spent our childhood riding dirt bikes and four wheelers making our own race tracks. Laying out on the abandoned train tracks with friends during the warm summer nights! Great memories there!
It is just plain cool that you share this footage and commentary with us!
Thank you, mighty kind words
Do you have any Bed and Breakfasts here?
@@juanitalarge9833 there are at least one or two bed and breakfasts in the town, you might have to Google them
Can’t wait for the Spring tour! 2024 😊
I love the old country towns and just the feel of them! They say that the grass is always greener but depending on what you like it just might be!!!! These old towns had such a simple living to them and to me its much better than the big cities!
What a beautiful place. I love railroads . ❤️🚂
Same here, love the railroads
Looks like a lot of other towns also in wv. Need more jobs in WV!!
Very true
Double edged Sword. I moved from WV and moved to Florida as a kid. More jobs means a lot more people. You do not want New Yorkers moving in by the thousands. Trust me.
Democrats ruined west virginia
@@kyboy5 how?
@@michaelbrown1627 you sure right about that west virginia is so peaceful y'all don't need all those city people
Born and raised in Morgantown. Its weird how all the small towns in different county's appear the same.
I love my state of west Virginia best state ever we love it just as it is practically the same as it was a hundred years ago
Well I'm sorry but it's not like it was a hundred you ago the coal industry have been killing it for years they strip off tops of mountains and they don't put it back the way it was I'm not saying it not a beautiful state I was born and raised there I've seen the damage they do no clean water the air is heavy with the dust from the coal mines themselves I still love wa va I'm not putting her down or saying anything against her she's still almost heaven too me just wish ya'll had more industry factory's or some other way to make a great living that doesn't put you in harm's way I was going to be a coal miner but my brother law was killed so I decided that wasn't for me so I left there in the spring of 83 god bless
Almost Heaven West Va...
Nothing more beautiful than West Virginia.!!! ❤️
Parts of W Va are attractive, just in my case I don't care for snow. :)
You might think It's right, but to me my home state is by far the most beautiful views and many hard working, God fearing, good people...Try Alaska.
Almost heaven West Virginia
Blue Ridge mountains
Shenandoah river.
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains
Growin' like a breeze.
I guess it don't get much prettier than what you see here. I LIKE PEACEFUL. Hey y'all. Greetings from Chicago.
Please feel free to visit Alaska once this pandemic is over. West Virginia and eastern Kentucky was very beautiful to me when I visited in August 1984. Great people, good food, peaceful feeling and a great place to find God fearing people.
Evidently you never been to the smoky mountains
Lovely town. Greetings from Malaysia!
Hello in Malaysia, thanks for watching!
Looks like a Ghost town...you came across 1 live thing..a cat.
There is something about being in these old towns. Their old and dilapidated in some spots, still with that and the mountains around you, its strange but you feel at peace. Something there holds you for awhile and stays with you. The atmosphere is different, the air is different. Its all good. You might even want to stay. I tend to chalk it up to escapism. Id imagine in a place like this, you can really find yourself. No city BS no distractions. Just you, your little town and the wilderness. I love it. That feeling you get wondering around in a place like this seems to be that feeling of simplicity something we all naturally need. I really feel that this is how it was meant to be for all of us. This feeling is important.
Very well said.... I agree. :)
Lord Gargamel I moved from the madness of Baltimore City to the beautiful little Mountain town of Cumberland, Maryland almost 10 years ago, and I swear its like a totally different planet up here, with all of the beauty of nature, the friendly people, and the wonderful old architecture left over from the days when the Railroad Barons had their homes built to last, and built to inspire awe, both of which they were very successful at...
I like yer opinion
I was just thinking, why don't they do these videos when things are in bloom, or during Oct when WV is at it's height of pretty?
I totally agree ,in the spring , summer and early fall it's just drop dead gorgeous there. Looks just like Western PA where I grew up. I was a coal miner in the 80's
Forgot to mention that the snow is pretty too until it gets dirty along the roads.
Wondering the same thing..gloomy is not attractive.
That reply is from curtis cook, i didnt realize i was under my wifes name. But the diner was call the corner shop and they sold wot nots and flowers not too much ice cream. And when he heads past the diner and pans to the right, that house has a huge bank vault in it that the mining company would keep their cash in.
West Virginia always looks spooky n gloomy lol it looks like u could hide in those mountains forever
Spooky and gloomy for sure. Born and raised in my early years in Southern West Virginia. Best place to live in West Virginia is on a mountain top one reason is the sun shines longer not so spooky and gloomy than if you live in a hollow where sun barely shines. Another reason not to live in a hollow is that you might get flooded out during a heavy rainstorm.
Love watching your videos but I've never seen a living solo on the streets in these towns. Crazy
Thanks for watching. In a lot of cases, it was due to the time of day/year that I was able to visit. This one was on an unseasonably cold and windy day. Not to say it is ever overly bustling but usually a few people in town.
Shane
Get in touch
I’d like to talk w you
Thx
WVa people
Thank you Shane, again you have gone over and above to bring us another great video.
Thank ya so much for watching and the kind words
I am from NY and for some reason W.V. has been calling me..deff going to take a vacation there once I am off papers and hell maybe I'll end up leaving the city life behind and start over.
Same here. Thinking of buying a house and starting a business.
@@queencobra1507 that would be nice as hell but if the business doesn't work out, you can always learn how to make some shine hah
@@k_sirps585 liquid gold
No place more beautiful than W Va. Demand fast internet from your elected officials.
@@queencobra1507 don't. come. here.
Our economy is based on meth, and the houses look like they've been through every natural disaster possible.
My parents went to Bramwell on their first date in 1940, before returning to Princeton to go see 'Gone With The Wind'.
I've been there several times over the years for work.
That's a really cool story. I'd love to know what dating was like in 1940.
@@TheAppalachianProject I'm now medically retired, but I was an insurance special investigator of fire and fraud and handled a lot of cases in southern West Virginia. Dad would ride with me on occasion and he told me the entire story of their first date....however it's a bit to long to share in the comments. It's actually a pretty funny story.
I bet there were a lot of great stories behind some of the insurance fraud too lol
@@TheAppalachianProject oh yea....many.
I visited my grandpa in Bramwell, just 2 weeks ago! Watching this video makes me want to go back there again! Bramwell is a cool and nice place if you want a peace of mind.
Aw sad WV is the best I don't know why there hasn't been more progress
I am a native of West Virginia. I'm old enough to remember when Coal was king, it really was Almost Heaven. I am sorry that this is no longer true. The mines closed, factories closed and the poverty settled in deeply. I still love our mountains. I always will. West Virginia will always be home to me.
Beautiful beautiful State.
Drive slower.
I grew up there from 1984 to 1992. The narrater calls it the cooper house but back then it was the mayors house. My friend egged his house and got caught and his punishment was having to rake his leaves instead of going to jail. And the ice cream store
Just a ghost town now.
My thinking too. Moreover, it doesn't look like it was ever really much of a town. A few commercial buildings on one side of the street and that's about it.
Beutiful place thank you very much
Why is there no people or activity?
Civid19 lock down
It's winter time. The residents do not move around outside much in the winter. There's a lot of 'porch settin' in the warmer weather.
There were some beautiful houses there. I would have liked to have gotten better views of them.
Whered you eat? Should have taken us to local mom n pop diner. Or did you just pack a meal or do fastfood?
Sooooo, maybe we’ll get a look at those swinging bridges in another video.
I wish you would have shown the houses!!
Very poorly done drove and walked too fast to enjoy seeing town. Try slowing down and doing on a day where you are not rushed!
Interesting showing where wealth existed long ago. People think the Aristocracy in the South died after the Civil War, and on the surface it did. There is still one around, and they do have wealth, they still send their children to England for their schooling, and they actually speak with mixed Southern and English accent. I was exposed to this many years ago, although I was never part of it.
Correction to a comment I made, all the scenes on the movie “Dark Waters”, depicting a true story about Parkersburg, WV were filmed in Cincinnati, OH and Hamilton, OH. So it is not a true depiction of Parkersburg, WV. I earlier stated that some scenes were also filmed across the river in Kentucky.
I say this to point out, don’t let movies form your opinions. Form your own opinion. This film grossly depicted the true story in order to make money, win awards and push a specific narrative, well after the fact. I know, because I grew up there and participated in the testing and didn’t moved until long after the trial was over.
I have to check that movie out. Spent lots of time in Parkersburg growing up. Disappointing they didn’t film it in Parkersburg.
Reminds me of some of the towns in Carbon County, PA between Jim Thorpe and Wilkes Barre. Slightly less populated though. That black cat reminds me of my Ole evil wild Sooze (Suzy). More WV vids please. 👍
Where is everybody it looks like a ghost town
That's West Virginia for you quiet
I don't wish to insult anyone, but I didn't see anything that came even close to a million dollar house.
A million dollars now is far different than a million dollars hundreds of years ago.
There are mansions, but they are off of Main Street, which is what this video focuses on. Brick Street, which you only get a glimpse of in this video,has some very nice old houses. River Bend Road, which is not in the video, also has some very nice houses on it. There are also some mansions along During Street, which is not in the video.
Bonnie Akridge there are old Victorian mansions in Bramwell. He only showed the Cooper House.
Looks like a ghost town. Not a single person in sight.
somebody on a scooter but that was about it
Its early morning perhaps.
I live here "gorgeous"
Pocahontas my home town is sadly eroding away!! Bramwell has always been one of the nicer coal mining towns!!
Growing up in Mercer County West Virginia my parents would often take my sisters and I to visit our cousins that lived on outskirts of Pocahontas, Virginia. Cousins attended Pocahontas High School. I recall visiting Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Museum an insite into how coal was mined.
Rachel C. Last time I was in Pocahontas almost every building there has collapsed!! Such a sad sight I haven’t wanted to go back since!! I do miss the good people of that town!!
@@larrylambert5193 I had heard PHS closed their doors looked that up on Google and sure enough the very last graduating class was in 2008. I attended my uncle's wake at a funeral home in town I can't recall name of funeral home makes me wonder if that business is still around or has closed down. One thing for sure you will always have your memories of your hometown that no one can take from you.
That looks more like millionaire houses from the 1920's. Go check out Julia-Ann Historic District in Parkersburg.
Just curious what kind of camera are you using?
Just subscribed!
Great video my friend... I use to live in charleston and I have never been to many of the wonderful places in the state.. I look forward to seeing some of these great places in West Virginia
I grew up at Coopers,just a few miles from Bramwell. I went to Bramwell H S until my 11th year and I finished my H S at Big Creek Sure do miss the mountains and friendly people
Drove by Coopers not too long ago
My grandmother is from Coopers. Our family church is Mill Creek Baptist Church. Though few in number, before the pandemic, they were still worshipping there.
I grew up on fletcher street down in the hollow right after the stone bridge, before the train overpass!
I forgot Bramwell and Mayberry.
I was working in the Bluefield studio....saw an address of Mayberry.....I asked if Barney was still the Deputy....i got a vacant look....um...I don't know.
I’ll bet people that live here don’t have to lock their doors, or worry about drive-by shootings, or panhandlers living on the streets... cell phone reception is probably not the greatest, which means they probably don’t get besieged by telemarketers, Robo calls, political ads, and overseas spoof calls from somalia & asia once an hour..
I have been dirtbike riding deep in West Virginia. I have happened upon homes deep in the woods/mountains, the people don’t even have electricity. Maybe it’s a cabin that they go to on the weekends or vacations, maybe it’s a hunting cabin, but it sure looked like it was lived in year-round. There weren’t even roads nearby some of the homes I’ve seen in them there hills. what are they missing? better yet, what are they not missing..
jody fresnack I used to live in hedgesville Wv. It’s the weirdest feeling remembering to lock my doors living in the city now.
Thanks makes me homesick. Family from Clarksburg,wv.
Cool. Italian stone workers built the Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge, that I pass under everyday! From Stewartsville, VA
Please check your focus, it's no good looking at something you cannot see well, If you can, please give some history on the buildings or homes you mention. Names are nice but mean nothing without their history. Tks
It's usually gloomy/overcast in WV. Between Mid-Fall and April it's mostly this gloomy gray weather. In the late Spring and Summer, you get that tropical-like weather that brings thunderstorms most days around the early afternoon. So, if you like gloom and rain, WV is for you.
Makes it a great place if your thing is staying inside and reading books.
Beautiful town love to go there i live in harpers ferry, west virginia
How about doing a video of Honaker Virginia
i cant believe i havent done one already, i will definitely get one someday
thanks for showing us a gost town not a sole around or a car going the street
I think the weather might have impacted it some, it was unusually cold and windy
Wow. I thought this was sun rise, not sunset. Not one single person visable. Not one moving vehicle in sight.
Sad to say, but that black cat recently died
"Nice and creative videos, englightening. I can see A lot of thought has been put into the content and editing of the video， This is really my favorite channel.:) .🌴🌴🌴nice job 👍👌👍👌👍 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴 " From Pickering Durham 2021
THE HILL'S & MOUNTAIN'S ARE AWESOME I WOULDN'T MIND PASSING THRU THERE AGAIN SOON IT'S A BEAUTIFUL TOWN I JUS LOVED DRIVING THRU THERE TO SEE A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE BLUEFIELD WAS VERY ENCOURAGING TO SEE& I FELT ALOT OF PEACE & LOVE & HOPE THERE ,MY PARENT'S & GRANDPARENTS & GREAT GRANDPARENT'S WAS BORN & RAISED UP THERE I WANTA KNOW MORE BOUT THEM THAT I DIDNT KNOW CUZ I WAS TO LIL , MY GRAND PA & GREAT GRAND PA WORKED IN THE COAL MINES I WOULD OF LOVED TO MEET THEM BUT I WAS JUS A BABY WHEN THEY PAST AWAY , I MISS THE HILL'S & MOUNTAIN'S SO MUCH I WISHED I'D STAYED WHEN I WENT THERE BY MYSELF I COULDN'T BELIEVE I DROVE & MADE IT TO WHERE I WAS BORN , I WANNA GO BACK THERE THANK'S FOR SHOWING THIS VIDEO THANK'S AGAIN YA'LL
thanks for watching
I lived on Coaldale Mountain and attended grade school in Bramwell.
Wow. Just yesterday I was house hunting on Zillow and I checked out that large light blue house across the bridge on the hill. This is a beautiful tiny town in the curve of the river. Thank you for your videos.
it is a small world indeed
Absolutely funny that they want people to pay to watch this whole video. Lol
Sounds like a perfect place to live so nobody will bug you
Its bramwell not bramma, bramble, and a host of other names you called it
Thank you for another great video. I drove through Bramwell every day on my way to work in Welch in 1978.
Thanks for the kind words, sounds like you were a Rt. 52 regular
Where did u work in Welch?
Main street looks like an Edward Hopper painting.
we have lot of this kind of city beautiful
I have always said that if the W Va and E Ky mountains were in California the land would be so valuable and full of people and prosperity. Now the old building are junk shops and people settle for minimum wage tourist jobs. So many towns in W Va could be revived simply by the availability of fast and reliable internet service that would attract high income digital workers looking to escape CA and other expensive locations and they would offer opportunities to young people who were willing to learn the same. But the politicians are paid off by the old wire providers to keep out competition resulting in lousy service at high prices. Demand from your politicians hi speed, reasonable priced internet for your future.
An exemplary small WV town. The large old homes are lovely, but I would hate like h*ll to have to pay for heating in the winter!
Hit a lot of these West “by god” Virginia towns in my day of sport bikes when I lived in Chambersburg PA. Love WV and considered moving there but the wife and I couldn’t talk ourselves into the commute. Then when I retired I came way farther south.
Bramwell 'still' has that Middle/Upper Middle Class vibe; the basic 'bones' of that town aren't bad at all.
Take us to Parkersburg WV. Every since I saw the Movie "Dark Waters" I have been curious about this community and the Dupont plant located in Parkersburg WV.
Im from Parkersburg can tell you the truth the world hates . Jesus said Before Abraham was I am . John 8 58 . For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God . 1 Corinthians 1 18 . God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM . Exodus 3 14 . Then said the Lord unto Moses Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you . Exodus 16 4 . Jesus said I am that bread of life . John 8 58 . I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint my heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels . Psalm 22 14 . Jesus said John indeed baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost . Acts 11 16 on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost . Acts 10 45 washed us from our sins in his own blood . Revelation 1 5 . Come to Calvarys Holy Mountain Church Hymn .
I grew up in the town across the river from Parkersburg, in Belpre, Ohio and my mother retired from DuPont as well as several relatives. “Dark Waters” is not an accurate description of Parkersburg at all. The C8 situation was serious. But they grossly embellished on the description of the people and the area of Parkersburg and Washington, WV. Don’t expect a video of Parkersburg, WV to be anything like what you just watched or anything like that movie. A lot of the exterior scenes of that movie were shot around Cincinnati, OH and across the river in Kentucky, if they’re being honest. (A lot of the extras on that movie were from the Cincinnati area) I have yet to hear of any cases of anyone being affected by C8 in Cincinnati, which is a good 3 and a half hours away from Parkersburg.
I’ve also been an extra in movies and I’ve seen the “liberties” they take with their descriptions.
Where are all the good citizens of Bramwell, it's looks deserted, no vehicles, very depressing
It was an unseasonably cold day so that partially explains it
Used to be BEAUTIFUL now a wasteland
I’ve been there twice. It’s a unique little town. A former next door neighbor of mine grew up and graduated from Bramwell High School. She loved the town and used to talk about it all the time. I got to take a tour of the bank building and the president of the bank said they had a ghost on the second floor. It was also the office for the Bramwell Aristocrat newspaper
Hey you wasn't that far from where i live
It's a beautiful place
@@TheAppalachianProject it is...
I grew up in Summersville but live in NC now. Miss home and REALLY appreciate these videos!!!!
Where is everyone?? Are they hiding? Beautiful ..
I love watching the beautiful scenery recorded on a cell phone in a car going 40. Its just really relaxing.
Well that was different, not another soul in site and you neglected to say how the food was at the diner. Curious to know if you had tried one of the milkshakes.
nice, large houses. beautiful mountains.
Yes, indeed-y
Strange how that black cat was right by the Masonic Lodge..... enjoyed the video and this town.
WV is absolutely beautiful. I love seeing the old school beauty of some of the older county's and all the old structures
Thanks for the tour of Bramwell,WV. Shane. Hard to tell. Is the Cooper house actually occupied? What did this Cooper do to generate his $$? Love the old native stone houses ,along with the pretty old bricked business buildings. Today it's all either cheapie stick built homes or i-beam steel for business buildings. Easy up,,,easy down.
Coal.
That small town looks like my town here in wv dead no jobs nothin to do people are friendly here in wv love my state
i live in bluefield i love it always will
Do a video on logan wv