Mingo County (Images of America)

The youngest county in the state of West Virginia, Mingo County was formed in 1895. With its majestic mountains and rolling hills, Mingo County has rich natural resources, including timber, coal, gas, and oil. This beautiful area was the location for the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud, which began during the Civil War and expanded throughout southwestern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. It was also the site of a tragic attempt to unionize the coal miners of Mingo County. In May 1920, the Matewan Massacre placed Mingo County in the national spotlight when Matewan chief of police Sid Hatfield and his group of union miners had a shoot-out with the Baldwin-Felts detectives who had come to town to evict striking miners from their homes. Today, the residents of Mingo County live peacefully beside the Tug Fork River. Mingo County reflects the warm-hearted, patriotic, friendly, hardworking people who call this area home.