Beckley (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781531662165)

A fork in the road was all Alfred Beckley found in 1836 when he arrived in a wilderness that was to be chartered as Beckley in 1850. Aptly named, Beckley means Becca's wood or clearing. Farming and timbering were the primary occupations in Raleigh County until 1900, when coal became a major industry, bringing immigrants from Europe and the Deep South. Prosperity continued for half a century until the coal mines were worked out. Many miners moved to the Midwest, where steel mills and factories were booming. Beckley struggled through the 1950s and 1960s. Then came the interstates, which created tremendous growth in health care, banking, housing, education, shopping, restaurants, tourism, culture, and recreation. However, downtown became a vacant reminder of its nostalgic past as shopping centers took over. The 21st century has brought a new face to Beckley, as it is rapidly becoming a government center.

Author: Fran Klaus
ISBN-10: 1531662161
ISBN-13: 9781531662165
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Library Editions
Language: English
Published: 01/30/2012
Pages: 130
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.38d