Kimball, West Virginia

The Kimball mining disaster took place on July 18, 1919, at the Carswell coal mine in Kimball, killing six miners.{{cite book |last=Greenberg|first=Michael I. | title = Encyclopedia of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-made Disasters|year=2006| publisher = Jones & Bartlett Learning| page=192 | isbn= 9780763737825}} Initial reports said that 221 men had been killed, but they were trapped by the explosion. A rescue party was able to dig through the wreckage, allowing 215 to return alive to the surface.{{cite news |date=July 18, 1919|title= Rescuers Search For bodies of 14 men in Wreckage|last=The Oklahoma City Times|author-link=The Oklahoma Times|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86064187/1919-07-18/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=07%2F18%2F1919&index=11&rows=20&sequence=1&date2=07%2F18%2F1919&words=&dateFilterType=range&page=2|newspaper=The Oklahoma City Times|location=Oklahoma City|issn=2333-0201|oclc=13764083|page=1 |access-date= July 18, 2019}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|0.25|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=July 2, 2012 }}

The town is on the Norfolk Southern Railway (former Norfolk and Western) network.

{{US Census population

|1910= 1630

|1920= 1428

|1930= 1467

|1940= 1580

|1950= 1359

|1960= 1175

|1970= 962

|1980= 871

|1990= 550

|2000= 411

|2010= 194

|2020= 145

|estyear=

|estimate=

|estref=

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=}}
2010 2020

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 24, 2013}} of 2010, there were 194 people, 78 households, and 52 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|776.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 133 housing units at an average density of {{convert|532.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 37.6% White, 57.2% African American, and 5.2% from two or more races.

There were 78 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the town was 43 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.

At the 2000 census, there were 411 people, 166 households and 107 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|1578.6|PD/sqmi}}. There were 233 housing units at an average density of {{convert|894.9|/sqmi}}. The racial makeup of the town was 34.06% White, 63.26% African American, 0.24% Pacific Islander, and 2.43% from two or more races.

There were 166 households, of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.1% were married couples living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.

24.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 62.5 males.

The median household income was $17,333, and the median family income was $21,429. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,269. About 23.6% of families and 33.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.1% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

From October 2005 when it opened until its closure in January 28, 2016, a Walmart superstore was the largest employer in the town.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/09/what-happened-when-walmart-left?subid=2465317&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2|title = What happened when Walmart left|website = TheGuardian.com|date = July 9, 2017}} Before a Walmart opened on the site, the building was home to a Kmart on the property. opening on March 9, 1995. At the time Kimball was the smallest city in US with a Kmart (although it served shoppers normally from the bigger{{Cite web |last=Town of Kimball |date=2018-08-01 |title=Houston Coal Company Store and Houston House |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-MD8 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=SAH ARCHIPEDIA |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Houston Company Store |url=https://kimball.wv.gov/visitors/Pages/Houston-Company-Store.aspx |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=kimball.wv.gov}} town of Welch. The store closed in 2003 following a bankruptcy & mass-closures.{{Cite web |last=Godvin |first=Tara |date=March 27, 2003 |title=Kmart in W. Va. Struggles With Closing |url=https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/kmart-in-w-va-struggles-with-closing-757927.php |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=Beaumont Enterprise |language=en}}

Kimball is home to the Five Loaves and Two Fishes food bank, which features a hydropanel water production system which can produce 950 gallons of clean drinking water monthly.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bdtonline.com/news/clean-water-for-mcdowell-kimball-food-bank-installs-new-source/article_e477b378-0815-11ea-8fdc-d7c807032c1a.html|title=Clean water for McDowell: Kimball food bank installs new SOURCE production system|last=Boothe|first=Charles|date=November 16, 2019|website=Bluefield Daily Telegraph|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-secures-forklift-for-five-loaves-and-two-fishes-food-bank-in-kimball-|title=Manchin Secures Forklift for Five Loaves & Two Fishes Food Bank in Kimball|date=December 29, 2017|website=U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/in-mcdowell-county-food-desert-concerns-about-the-future/article_df3ac520-9c30-53c8-9027-bd73f8b9b4f1.html|title=In McDowell County 'food desert,' concerns about the future|last=Coyne|first=Caity|date=April 7, 2018|website=Charleston Gazette-Mail|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2020}}

Kimball Negro High School served African American students until it was converted to a junior high school in the wake of integration.

The Houston Coal Company Store is a one-story building constructed with dark red brick and covered by a hipped green tile roof, surrounded by a shaded yard. Arched windows and projecting wings along the facade introduce stylistic variation to the structure. Across Carswell Hollow Road, the owner's former residence, built with similar materials, incorporates Tudor-style influences.{{Cite web |last=pls4e |date=2018-08-01 |title=Houston Coal Company Store and Houston House |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-MD8 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=SAH ARCHIPEDIA |language=en}} Both buildings were designed by a Cincinnati architect, reflecting a cohesive architectural approach.

The town was once served three times weekly by the now defunct{{Cite web |last=Skeldon |first=Katherine |date=2023-03-19 |title=Welch News says goodbye after nearly 100 years of publication |url=https://wvmetronews.com/2023/03/19/welch-news-says-goodbye-after-nearly-100-years-of-publication/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=WV MetroNews |language=en-US}} Welch News out of the nearby county seat, Welch.

• Jean Battlo (1939-2024) - West Virginia playwright, born and raised in Kimball
• Tracy Gravely (born 1968) - former Canadian Football League linebacker
• Jerry Tennant (1938-2024) - American bobsledder competing in the 1961 FIBT World Championships, born in Kimball

{{Reflist}}

{{commonscat}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050816063646/http://boe.mcdo.k12.wv.us/kimball/ Kimball Elementary School]

{{McDowell County, West Virginia}}

{{West Virginia municipalities}}

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Category:Towns in McDowell County, West Virginia

Category:Towns in West Virginia

Category:Coal towns in West Virginia