Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 6.11 Tourism and Development
Presentation #1 Title
Be Careful What You Wish For: Public History as a Function of Preservation and Deconstruction in Bramwell, West Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Bramwell, West Virginia, may be considered atypically Appalachian with its reputation, past and present, as the town of Millionaires. Too many communities in the southern West Virginia coal fields have only a few remaining traces of the great coal boom a century ago—if they exist at all. But Bramwell has survived, despite experiencing a gradual population decline from a high of around 2,000 in the early 20th century to fewer than 400 as of the 2010 census. As the result of a heritage tourism initiative started by the Bramwell Millionaire Garden club in 1988, Bramwell has emerged as a destination for visitors interested in coal and rail history, as well as in the grand architecture of houses and public structures within the town limits. The town is also undergoing a dramatic population and property ownership shift in the 21st century, resulting in fewer descendants of native residents living in the town and an increase in properties being purchased by outsiders. The May 2012 opening of the trailhead of a new segment of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System in Bramwell has created unforeseen potential and challenges for the leadership and residents. This presentation deals with the ways a local public history project, an aging and changing population and a new outdoor tourism program have contributed to the resurgence of economic viability in a small Appalachian town, as well the tensions produced by a shift in population from natives and their descendants to newcomers who have no ancestral tries to place.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dana is a native of Bramwell, West Virginia, where five generations of women in her family have lived. She is a PhD student at Virginia Tech, and this presentation is excerpted from her dissertation research.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Public History as a Function of Preservation and Deconstruction in Bramwell, West Virginia
Harris Hall 236
Bramwell, West Virginia, may be considered atypically Appalachian with its reputation, past and present, as the town of Millionaires. Too many communities in the southern West Virginia coal fields have only a few remaining traces of the great coal boom a century ago—if they exist at all. But Bramwell has survived, despite experiencing a gradual population decline from a high of around 2,000 in the early 20th century to fewer than 400 as of the 2010 census. As the result of a heritage tourism initiative started by the Bramwell Millionaire Garden club in 1988, Bramwell has emerged as a destination for visitors interested in coal and rail history, as well as in the grand architecture of houses and public structures within the town limits. The town is also undergoing a dramatic population and property ownership shift in the 21st century, resulting in fewer descendants of native residents living in the town and an increase in properties being purchased by outsiders. The May 2012 opening of the trailhead of a new segment of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System in Bramwell has created unforeseen potential and challenges for the leadership and residents. This presentation deals with the ways a local public history project, an aging and changing population and a new outdoor tourism program have contributed to the resurgence of economic viability in a small Appalachian town, as well the tensions produced by a shift in population from natives and their descendants to newcomers who have no ancestral tries to place.
