Welch, WV, USA
The town of Welch, WV, on January 8, 2025 is left resembling a ghost town compared to the thriving community it was over 70 years ago before the coal mines closed. After decades of economic depression, came the dark cloud of the opioid epidemic, further plunging the community into despair and loss.
Welch High School
My grandfather’s now abandoned high school sits gloomy and forgotten at the top of a hill overlooking the town of Welch.
Date
01/08/2025
Superior Elementary - Superior, WV
Just outside of Welch sits Superior Elementary. My grandfather’s abandoned elementary school is just across the street from the coal camp where he grew up: Maitland.
Date
01/08/2025
Date
01/08/2025
“Coal Town, USA” - Welch, WV
Coal-covered Welch dons a layer of grey against the white snow melt.