Today, there are photos everywhere. The technology is so ubiquitous that entire websites and apps are built entirely for the dissemination of photographs. Perhaps that’s why old photos, particularly ones taken during the relative infancy of photography, are so fascinating; not only are they a window into the past, they are the few visual records of a time long gone that no one living has every experienced.

1. This is a photo of the Hatfield clan around the turn of the century (1897). This West Virginia family is famous in this region for their longstanding, bloody feud with the McCoy clan of Kentucky that began shortly after the end of the Civil War.
Wikimedia/Public Domain
2. This picture, taken In September of 1908, shows miners standing at the entrance of a "drift" coal mine. Notice one of the miners is just a boy.
WikiMedia/Lewis Hine
3. Today, the very suggestion of letting a child work at all, let alone in a coal mine, would be met with fierce opposition on many sides, if not all of them. But in 1908, when this photo was taken, it was not uncommon. This shot was taken deep inside the Turkey Knob Mine in Macdonald.
WikiMedia/Lewis Hine

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4. This saw and lumber mill at Hooks Mills was photographed in 1903. The post office is on the right, behind mill owner Henson Hook, who is wearing the white shirt and resting his hand on the wagon wheel.
Wikimedia/Public Domain
5. This 1921 photo was taken in Charleston. These boys are judging prize heifers in a 4H Club Fair.
WikiMedia/Lewis Hines
6. Although this photo may be a little late to be considered early 1900s, it is fascinating none the less. This was taken during the great Ohio River Valley Flood In Huntington. This is a shot of 4th Avenue - more than 3 blocks away from the River's normal boundaries. The flood was the result of 19 days of consecutive rain fall combined with snow melt.
WikiMedia/Public Domain

What do you think of these old photos? Feel free to comment below and join the discussion.

To learn more about West Virginia, check out these photos from the 1950s.

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