In 1998, delacorte press published hickams second book, rocket boys. Now homer hickam continues his extraordinary story with sky of stone, dazzling us. Coalwood featured in newest issue of goldenseal magazine. Homer hickam won the praise of critics and the devotion of readers with his first two memoirs set in the hardscrabble mining town of coalwood, west virginia. Torpedo junction, the dinosaur hunter, rocket boys, coalwood way and sky of stone all 5 stars. The coalwood school burned down and stands in ruins. The author of torpedo junction, a military history book of the month club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as smithsonian air and space and american history illustrated, he is a nasa payload training manager for the international space program and. Coalwood wv historical society, inc posts facebook. Coalwood, west virgina is a small town that the best seller, october sky by homer hickam was based on. The old coalwood school in mcdowell county is long abandoned.
The coalwood way 2000 is the second memoir in a series of three, by homer hickam, jr. Coalwood was owned by the company and provided houses and a store for free with a free doctor. After 1 mile on coalwood glux rd, turn left into coalwood. As of the 1990 census the last time the town was counted separately, the population was 900. The author of torpedo junction, a military history book of the month club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as smithsonian air and space and american history illustrated, he is a nasa payload training manager for the international space program. In this followup to his bestselling autobiography rocket boys, homer hickam chronicles the eventful autumn of 1959 in his hometown, the west virginia mining town. We visited the annual october sky festival or the rocket boys reunion as it is know up there in coalwood. A young man in a small west virginia coal town dreams of building rockets to outer space as he witnesses sputnik flying overhead. October sky was followed by the coalwood way 2000, sky of stone 2002, and carrying albert home 2015. Immortalized in the book rocket boys and the movie october sky.
Sonnys dad is a coal miner and his dad wants him to be just like him when hes older. There was also a gas station, convenience store, the big store, lots of little stores, and a doctors office and dentists office. This resulted in his first book, torpedo junction 1989, a military history bestseller published in 1989 by the naval institute press. A town picks one book, and then everyone in town is encouraged to read that book, participate in activities related to that book, and discuss that book.
Coalwood is located just off of the national coal heritage scenic highway. Homer hickam talks about coalwood, wv and sputnik 1 of 3. As of the 1990 censusthe last time the town was counted separatelythe population was 900. West virginia history, west va, coal mining, childhood memories, southern, heaven, country roads, outdoor structures.
According to barbara hilemons book, homer hickam jr. The town of coalwood has been chronicled in homer hickams books rocket boys and the coalwood way. Browse and book vacation rentals in virginia and west virginia. Only coal mining was more important in coalwood than highschool football. In 1998 the book rocket boys, written by native son homer hickam, jr. The town is the setting of the bestselling memoir october sky by homer hickam and the movie based on the book. The tipple is gone, and the mine shaft has been sealed. Coalwood was a place for bituminous coal miners to live and mine in the olga coal mine.
There are actually four books in the coalwood series written by homer hickam, jr. The west virginia archives and history web site offers detailed information on the states history, outlines the documents available in the state archives, and provides assistance in conducting genealogical research. Rocket boys was made into a film in 1999, titled october sky an anagram of rocket boys. If you have read the coalwood misfits, youll remember the story of the day.
The clubhouses and apartments are boarded up and abandoned. This the touching and inspiring true story of a group of boys growing up in the mining town of coalwood, west virginia. This resulted in his first book, torpedo junction, a military history bestseller published in 1989 by the naval institute press. He was a wealthy person who was an industrialist who bought the land and started coal mining. Hickams memoirs often reflect his love of home cooking as he recalls the trials and tribulations of this coal mining community. It is also available in abridged audio book, electronic book, large print, and is a readers digest condensed book. The author of torpedo junction, a military history book of the month club selection, as well as.
They were his ticket out of coalwood, west virginia, a mining town that everyone knew was dyingeveryone except sonnys. All of us have different ideas and perceptions of coalwood depending on our backgrounds. Telephone directories in the west virginia state archives. The coal mine in coalwood reached its peak in the 1960s and finally shut down production on october 1, 1982. Coalwood schools were operational, but now coalwood schools are not operational and were torn down. The book was then republished as october sky shortly afterwards. Sky of stone is the third and final although there is a prequel in the coalwood series, beginning with the rocket boys, the coalwood way, and ending with sky of stone. It received so much acclaim and interest, he was asked to write a book detailing the whole story. Coal was discovered in mcdowell county, located in the. The large white building on the left was the general managers residence. Sky of stone coalwood book 3 kindle edition by hickam, homer.
High school students were bused to big creek high school in war. Coalwood was a rather prosperous mining town from the early to late 1900s. The olga coal mining company in coalwood, wv was one of the worlds biggest bituminous coal production centers. Coalwood, west virginia in mcdowell county has become a famous coal town due to the true story in the book, rocket boys. Schust, the postcard is before consolidation took over.
Put a new yorker in the coal mines of west virginia. Jan 16, 2019 coalwood is a small, unincorporated town tucked away in the mountainous landscape of west virginia, and hidden with it, a history that not many talk about. History of coalwood coalwood, west virginia and october sky. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sky of stone coalwood book 3.
Buy featured book title rocket boys subtitle a memoir. Mcdowell county, wv photo album here are some photographs of mcdowell county subjects contributed by researchers like you. Nov 15, 2019 coalwood is an unincorporated community coal town in mcdowell county, west virginia, united states. Homer hickam was born and raised in coalwood, west virginia. The town is the setting of the bestselling memoir october sky by homer. Buy a cheap copy of the coalwood way book by homer hickam. Phyllis ramona novak was born on tuesday, october 15, 1935 and passed away on monday, april 06, 2020. Not only is the coalwood way a noble and vigorous sequel to october sky, the memoir can stand on its own merits as it explores how an evergrowing and conflicted teenager struggles with incipient manhood and dissects the hiddent strengths and weaknesses of a small west virginia mining town.
Here are some photographs of mcdowell county subjects contributed by researchers like you. Sixteenyearold homer and his pals in the big creek missile agency are high school seniors, still building homemade rockets and hoping that science will. This is purported to be a postcard from around 1908 showing the railroad entrance to coalwood. Coalwood, west virginia wikipedia republished wiki 2.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the coalwood way. Phyllis ramona novak was a resident of coalwood, west virginia at the time of passing. A tour of coalwood, west virginia, using images and drone video. This is a supply train sitting on the tracks that ran behind the big store in coalwood. A memoir, the story of his life in the little town of coalwood, west virginia. Coalwood is the second of 3 books that examine the history of community and coal mining in mcdowell county, west virginia.
Up until the early nineteenth century, cherokee tribes occasionally hunted in the area, but found the terrain otherwise too rugged and uninviting. Oct 10, 2000 the coalwood way is a memoir written by homer h. Coalwood series by homer hickam goodreads share book. Read on to find out more about this old school and its community, which was featured in a memoir by one of its native sons. A story by homer hickam who nurtured a dream to send rockets into outer space. In 1998, retired nasa engineer and mcdowell county native homer hickam published his boyhood memoir, rocket boys. Coalwood history timeline goldenseal article history coalwood tipple. Sputnik, and anything else, was going to always come in a distant third. Coalwood is an unincorporated community coal town in mcdowell county, west virginia, united states.
Jul 01, 2012 coalwood, west virginia in mcdowell county has become a famous coal town due to the true story in the book, rocket boys. There were also lots of stores in the town, such as country corner. History of coalwood the history of coalwood has changed over time. Browse mls listings in coalwood and take real estate virtual tours at realtor. October sky october sky is a story about a boy named sonny who lives in coalwood, west virginia. See more ideas about west virginia, virginia and coalwood wv. Homer hickams second memoir takes us further into the soul of his hometown, coalwood, west virginia. The people who know coalwood through the book rocket boys. The book coalwood by alex schust and david goad provides an excellent history of coalwood with emphasis on the time from 1900 to the 1940s. Photos of coalwood, wv high school now abandoned mcdowell.
Anyway, carter ran the coalwood coal camp and coal mines until 1947, when they. These visual time capsules help give some perspective to the lives and times of our mcdowell county people and places. The coalwood historical society maintains a great facebook page with historic. Coalwood is a small, unincorporated town tucked away in the mountainous landscape of west virginia, and hidden with it, a history that not. Coalwood, west virginia home of the rocket boys and the bestseller october sky by homer hickam.
Oct 09, 2001 once again homer hickam brings to life the coal mining town of coalwood, wv. According to the west virginia history books, no one had ever lived in the valleys and hills of mcdowell county before we came to dig out the coal. Coalwood is a mining town where you either mine for your live or you get lucky as a teenager and leave on a scholarship for football. Nature is reclaiming this one abandoned west virginia spot and its actually amazing. Big store, gas station, doctors and dentist offices big store is torn down, all businesses are closed besides the country corner clubhouses and apartments that housed miners. In this followup to his bestselling autobiography rocket boys, homer hickam chronicles the eventful autumn of 1959 in his hometown, the west virginia mining town of coalwood.
The people who know coalwood through the movie october sky. The coalwood way by homer hickman this book is a memoir of homer hickmans life in coalwood west virginia. October sky coalwood, west virginia and october sky. How he did his job was he hired a dentist and a doctor to provide service to his miners. The coalwood way is a story of the rocket boys and coalwood. While growing up in coalwood, hickam and his family attended the coalwood united methodist church and the cookbooks title reflects the name of one of his books, the coalwood way. The history of coalwood olga was a working coal mine that provided employment to many people. Coalwood is also the home to the famous rocket boys of the late 1950s. The smaller white building next to it was the original club house. Im sure you could guess what they mined, but in case you were wondering, it was coal.
The person who was responsible for running the city of coalwood is george lafayette carter. Mar 10, 2008 this interview took place in october of 2002. Yet the coalwood misfits is by a different author but seems to be telling the same story. The mine usually sold its coal to the union so it could make its steel for tools and weapons to sell to other companiesstores. Homer calls it an equal, rather than a sequel because the story happens during the same timeframe as the first book. Author alex schust started the project in 1999 and these books are the end result of his exhaustive research.
503 924 1061 841 691 1191 306 495 886 893 298 666 290 1032 1006 736 1421 903 607 788 952 753 1041 1198 1295 434 269 493 233 911 1226 1564 350 999 1076 94 1117 517 504 372 1093