Marmet, West Virginia Explained

Official Name:Town of Marmet
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:300px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Kanawha
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:David T. Fontalbert
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:3.65
Area Land Km2:3.30
Area Water Km2:0.35
Area Total Sq Mi:1.41
Area Land Sq Mi:1.27
Area Water Sq Mi:0.14
Population As Of:2020
Population Est:1473
Pop Est As Of:2021
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:1501
Population Density Km2:414.13
Population Density Sq Mi:1072.21
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation M:186
Elevation Ft:610
Coordinates:38.2453°N -81.5675°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:25315, 25365
Area Code:304 & 681
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:54-51724[3]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1542771[4]

Marmet (pronounced mar-MET) is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,501 at the 2020 census.

The community was re-named in 1900 after the local Marmet Coal Company, which had the name of its proprietors Edwin and William Marmet.[5] The town name was changed from Brownsville. The town name prior to 1829 was Elizaville that was founded in 1780 by Leonard Morris.[6]

Geography

Marmet is located at 38.2453°N -81.5675°W (38.245148, -81.567510).[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.41sqmi, of which 1.27sqmi is land and 0.14sqmi is water.[8]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 1,503 people, 616 households, and 397 families living in the town. The population density was 1183.5PD/sqmi. There were 700 housing units at an average density of 551.2/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 1.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population.

There were 616 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the town was 46.2 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 43.5% male and 56.5% female.

Battle of Blair Mountain

In August 1921, thousands of pro-union coal miners organized in Marmet and marched 60 miles to Mingo County through Boone County and then into Logan before entering into Mingo.[10] The aim was an attempt to free striking miners who had been arrested after the governor declared martial law. This confrontation between armed miners’ and the coal companies' army constituted the largest pitched battle in the history of the labor movement in the United States and became the largest insurrection on U.S. soil since the American Civil War. The battle only ended after President Harding called in the army to suppress the uprising. Once the military intervened, the miners laid down their weapons and the fighting ended.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 . Census.gov . US Census Bureau . 3 July 2022.
  3. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  4. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  5. Book: Kenny, Hamill. West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. 1945. The Place Name Press. Piedmont, WV. 403.
  6. Web site: Explorer Magazine . WV . Marmet, West Virginia . wvexplorer.com . WV Explorer Magazine . 2 February 2022.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. 2011-04-23. 2011-02-12.
  8. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. 2013-01-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. 2012-01-25.
  9. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2013-01-24.
  10. News: Men Don't Know Why They Fight . 2 February 2022 . The West Virginian . newspapers.com . Friday Evening Copy . The West Virginian . 2 September 1921 . The West Virginian.
  11. Web site: Park Service . National . Introduction to the West Virginia Mine Wars . National Park Service . National Park Service . 2 February 2022.