Grant Town, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Grant Town is a town in Marion County
, West Virginia
, in the eastern United States
. The population was 657 at the 2000 census.
The town was formed in 1901 with the opening of the Federal Coal and Coke Company bituminous coal
mine, and was named for Robert Grant, vice president of the coal company. The "Federal No. 1" mine http://www.coalingstation.com/images/18.jpg remained open for the next 84 years until its closure in 1985. At one point it was the largest underground coal mine in the world in terms of gross production, mining the Pittsburgh coal seam
. The town was incorporated as a municipality in 1946.
Grant Town is the site of an 80 Megawatt electrical generation facility, located adjacent to the coal refuse areas above the town. The plant, which was built in the early 1990s is controlled by Edison International
and generates electricity using a fluidized bed combustion
boiler process burning waste coal. http://www.edison.com/ourcompany/eme.asp?id=1540
The town is home to a local legend of a Bigfoot-type creature, sited periodically by local residents since the early 1970s. The creature, known locally as the "Grant Town Goon" aka "half-link" is reported to live in the woods and coal waste areas to the southern and southwestern parts of the town. Grant Town is also the location of a number of the stories of the West Virginia ghost story anthology The Telltale Lilac Bush
, by Fairmont State University
professor Ruth Ann Musick http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/musick.html. The town, the mine and surrounding farms are prominently featured in a number of the stories. Musick includes a description of the town, circa 1965, in an introduction to a section on mine ghost stories:
Notable Grant town natives include Charles Csuri
, a pioneer in the field of computer art, former University of Michigan
head football coach Rich Rodriguez
, and Tom Wilson
, creator of the comic strip Ziggy.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 657 people, 270 households, and 190 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,199.3 inhabitants per square mile (461.2/km²). There were 316 housing units at an average density of 576.8 per square mile (221.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.87% White, 7.76% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.30% from other races
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 270 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples
living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,722, and the median income for a family was $29,250. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $12,717. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, in the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 657 at the 2000 census.
The town was formed in 1901 with the opening of the Federal Coal and Coke Company bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
mine, and was named for Robert Grant, vice president of the coal company. The "Federal No. 1" mine http://www.coalingstation.com/images/18.jpg remained open for the next 84 years until its closure in 1985. At one point it was the largest underground coal mine in the world in terms of gross production, mining the Pittsburgh coal seam
Pittsburgh coal seam
The Pittsburgh Coal Seam is the thickest and most extensive coal bed in the Appalachian Basin; hence, it is the most economically important coal beds in the eastern United States. The Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed of the Monongahela Group is extensive and continuous, extending over...
. The town was incorporated as a municipality in 1946.
Grant Town is the site of an 80 Megawatt electrical generation facility, located adjacent to the coal refuse areas above the town. The plant, which was built in the early 1990s is controlled by Edison International
Edison International
Edison International is a public utility holding company based in Rosemead, California. Its subsidiaries include Southern California Edison, and un-regulated non-utility assets Edison Mission Energy and Midwest Generation, power producers, and Edison Capital...
and generates electricity using a fluidized bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion is a combustion technology used in power plants. Fluidized beds suspend solid fuels on upward-blowing jets of air during the combustion process. The result is a turbulent mixing of gas and solids. The tumbling action, much like a bubbling fluid, provides more effective...
boiler process burning waste coal. http://www.edison.com/ourcompany/eme.asp?id=1540
The town is home to a local legend of a Bigfoot-type creature, sited periodically by local residents since the early 1970s. The creature, known locally as the "Grant Town Goon" aka "half-link" is reported to live in the woods and coal waste areas to the southern and southwestern parts of the town. Grant Town is also the location of a number of the stories of the West Virginia ghost story anthology The Telltale Lilac Bush
Telltale Lilac Bush
The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales is a collection of 100 folklore and ghost stories compiled by Ruth Ann Musick.The tales surround ghost stories from around the Marion County area in Northern West Virginia...
, by Fairmont State University
Fairmont State University
Fairmont State University is a public university located in Fairmont, West Virginia, USA. Enrollment of the university is about 7,700 and offers masters degrees in business, education, teaching, criminal justice and nursing in addition to 90 baccalaureate and 50 associate degrees...
professor Ruth Ann Musick http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/musick.html. The town, the mine and surrounding farms are prominently featured in a number of the stories. Musick includes a description of the town, circa 1965, in an introduction to a section on mine ghost stories:
"The Grant Town Mine, the scene of four of the stories here, is one of the largest in the United States, and possibly in the world. The town itself, with a population of a little over a thousand, is about seven miles northwest of Fairmont. Surrounded by hills, it is a kind of a sunken garden--a well at the bottom of the stairway of hills and highways--so that it seems to be in a world of its own. In a way, perhaps, it is. At least fourteen different European nationalities live in the town and work in the mine."
Notable Grant town natives include Charles Csuri
Charles Csuri
Charles Csuri , aka Chuck Csuri, is a pioneer in the field of computer art and a former All American college football player.-Digital art:...
, a pioneer in the field of computer art, former University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
head football coach Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
, and Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson (cartoonist)
Thomas Albert Wilson , better known as Tom Wilson, was an American cartoonist. Wilson was the creator of the comic strip Ziggy, which he drew from 1971 to 1987. The strip was then continued by his son, Tom Wilson, Jr.Wilson served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He attended the Art Institute...
, creator of the comic strip Ziggy.
Geography
Grant Town is located at 39°33′26"N 80°10′43"W (39.557358, -80.178485).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 657 people, 270 households, and 190 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,199.3 inhabitants per square mile (461.2/km²). There were 316 housing units at an average density of 576.8 per square mile (221.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.87% White, 7.76% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.30% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 270 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,722, and the median income for a family was $29,250. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $12,717. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.