Kimball is a town in McDowell County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 145. Kimball was incorporated in 1911 and named for

Frederick J. Kimball Frederick James Kimball (March 6, 1844 – July 27, 1903) was a civil engineer. He was an early president of the Norfolk and Western Railway and helped develop the Pocahontas coalfields in Virginia and West Virginia. Railroad career At 18 ...

, a railroad official. Kimball is the site of the first war memorial building erected in memory of the

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

veterans of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As of 2024, the town still has a municipal government, where the mayor also acts as the town's only police officer.

History

The Kimball mining disaster took place on July 18, 1919, at the Carswell coal mine in Kimball, killing six miners. 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. The town is on the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

(former Norfolk and Western) network.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 194 people, 78 households, and 52 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 133 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 37.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 57.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 411 people, 166 households and 107 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 233 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 34.06% White, 63.26% African American, 0.24%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 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 The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $10,269. About 23.6% of families and 33.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 48.1% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

From October 2005 when it opened until its closure in January 28, 2016, a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

superstore was the largest employer in the town. Before a

opened on the site, the building was home to a

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

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 town of Welch. The store closed in 2003 following a bankruptcy & mass-closures. Kimball is home to the Five Loaves and Two Fishes

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

, which features a hydropanel water production system which can produce 950 gallons of clean

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

monthly.

Education

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

Arts and culture

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. Both buildings were designed by a Cincinnati architect, reflecting a cohesive architectural approach.

Media

The town was once served three times weekly by the now defunct Welch News out of the nearby county seat, Welch.

Notable people

* Jean Battlo (1939-2024) - West Virginia playwright, born and raised in Kimball * Tracy Gravely (born 1968) - former

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

linebacker * Jerry Tennant (1938-2024) - American bobsledder competing in the 1961 FIBT World Championships, born in Kimball

References

External links

Kimball Elementary School
{{authority control Towns in McDowell County, West Virginia Towns in West Virginia Coal towns in West Virginia