Blair, Logan County, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Blair is an unincorporated community
in Logan County
, West Virginia
, United States
, on the Spruce Fork. Blair lies along West Virginia Route 17. According to the Geographic Names Information System
, Blair has also been known as Ginseg, Ginseng, and Seng.
In 1921, nearby Blair Mountain was the site of the West Virginia Mine Wars
between thousands of rioting coal miners and federal troops which came to the aid of embattled local authorities. The federal troops prevailed and an unknown, but relatively small, number of people were killed in the fighting.
Also, during the Battle of Blair Mountain, a part of the West Virginia Mine Wars, federal troops used bombs against miners that attempting to reach the top.
Since the mid 1990s, Blair has been quickly depopulated by the expansion of Arco Coal Company's surface mine on Blair Mountain just above the town. Arco has bought out many local residents and filled in part of the valley upon which Blair rests with blasted rock from the mountain. About two-thirds of the approximately two hundred homes that constituted Blair in the early 1990s have since been demolished.
In December 2005 a coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit to stop Arco from getting the necessary permits to create more valley fills. At the time of writing, this lawsuit was not resolved.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Logan County
Logan County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 37,710 people, 14,880 households, and 10,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile . There were 16,807 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on the Spruce Fork. Blair lies along West Virginia Route 17. According to the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
, Blair has also been known as Ginseg, Ginseng, and Seng.
In 1921, nearby Blair Mountain was the site of the West Virginia Mine Wars
Battle of Blair Mountain
The Battle of Blair Mountain was one of the largest civil uprisings in United States history and the largest armed insurrection since the American Civil War...
between thousands of rioting coal miners and federal troops which came to the aid of embattled local authorities. The federal troops prevailed and an unknown, but relatively small, number of people were killed in the fighting.
Also, during the Battle of Blair Mountain, a part of the West Virginia Mine Wars, federal troops used bombs against miners that attempting to reach the top.
Since the mid 1990s, Blair has been quickly depopulated by the expansion of Arco Coal Company's surface mine on Blair Mountain just above the town. Arco has bought out many local residents and filled in part of the valley upon which Blair rests with blasted rock from the mountain. About two-thirds of the approximately two hundred homes that constituted Blair in the early 1990s have since been demolished.
In December 2005 a coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit to stop Arco from getting the necessary permits to create more valley fills. At the time of writing, this lawsuit was not resolved.