Chesapeake, WV
January 5, 2025
Chesapeake, WV, a small coal town 10 miles outside of the state capital of Charleston, is my dad’s hometown. As a child, I spent every Christmas in the quiet town at my grandparents’ red brick house with the front window always decorated with Mr. and Mrs. Clause.
My uncles and cousins still live in Chesapeake. In his 62 years of life, my uncle Tommy has seen the town rise and fall at the hands of the coal and drug industries.
Sign posted for all shoppers at Chesapeake’s local Kroger.
My uncle Matt’s house, once my great grandmother’s, is left stripped and abandoned.