A picturesque community in North Central West Virginia, Marion County is well-known for its winding waterways and rolling hills. Rapidly becoming a center for technological advancement, the county once depended on coal mining and oil drilling as its main industries. The near-depletion of these resources forced residents to seek new opportunities,

and their tenacity and willingness to forge ahead have helped maintain a community of which they and their children can be proud. This volume of vintage photographs and informative text sends readers back in time to the community’‘s defining days, the era in which Boaz Fleming lived with a dream of creating a new county and the period when coal, oil, and gas brought people into the area with hopes of fortune in their hearts. As the home to the first Father’‘s Day celebration and three West Virginia governors, including ’ the father of West Virginia’ Francis Pierpont, this community lies at the forefront of the

Mountain State’‘s proud heritage. Long-time residents will no doubt recognize many of the street scenes and parades, while newcomers will delight in seeing their beloved community as it looked in days gone by.