Bramwell, WV: A Coal Boom Ghost Town
On the advice of a local, we took an evening to drive a few miles north and check out the historic town of Bramwell, WV .
In the late 1800’s during the coal boom, Bramwell was a place where wealthy coal operators lived - having more millionaires per capita than any other town in the US! The town sits in a curve of the Bluestone River with rail lines running to it and very close to the Pocahontas Coal Field making it an ideal location for corporate offices of a coal company.
Today, the historic downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with historic buildings lining one side of main street. The restaurant we chose for tonight’s dinner - The Corner Shop - is located at the end of this strip of buildings (on the corner).
We found a place to park at the other end of the historic downtown area, a small parking lot across from a replica train station that is used as a Welcome Center and is gives visitors a history of West Virginia’s Coal Heritage Trail . As we walked towards the Corner Shop, we hear live music and see people coming and going from the restaurant - the most lively place along the historic strip.
I noticed that most of the store fronts along Main Street fully have the ORIGINAL tiles in place on the entry way. This little detail influences your perception of a town, really making you feel like you’ve stepped back into history.
Our hamburgers and milkshakes were great! The Corner Shop is a restored general store that has an original gooseneck soda fountain. There is a story that this general store was one of the first (some say the first, some say the third) general store to carry Chanel No. 5. This fun fact goes to show how wealthy the area once was. Today, the Corner Shop sells homemade ice cream and a few other doo dads!
