By Dylan Vidovich
For HDMedia
The Hatfields and McCoys Historical Society is bringing a free traveling exhibit — opening Friday — to Logan and Mingo counties this month. A wreath-laying ceremony and scholarship announcement is also planned at the Hatfield Family Cemetery on Memorial Day.
The nonprofit organization the West Virginia Humanities Council is sponsoring “American Blood Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys,” which traces the history of the famous feud, while “Born of Rebellion” spans more than a century of Appalachian history, from the growing divide between eastern and western Virginia in the early 1800s through the Civil War, West Virginia statehood and beyond.
Upcoming Hatfields and McCoys history events
American Blood Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys exhibit
WHEN: 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Friday; noon-8 p.m., Saturday; noon-5 p.m., Sunday. Friday through May 21
WHERE: Larry Joe Harless Center, 202 Larry Joe Harless Drive, Gilbert, Mingo County.
American Blood Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys exhibit
WHEN: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, May 25-June 3
WHERE: Chief Logan Lodge and Conference Center, 100 Conference Center Drive, Logan
Wreath-laying ceremony
WHEN: Noon-2 p.m., May 25
WHERE: Hatfield Family Cemetery, along W.Va. 44 in Sarah Ann, Logan County. Note: The cemetery is a steep quarter-mile walk from the parking lot located along W.Va. 44.
COST: All events are free
INFO: 304-687-0061 or hatfieldmccoyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com for all events.
The exhibits will be on display at the Larry Joe Harless Center in Gilbert and then will move to Chief Logan Lodge and Conference Center in Logan.
A wreath-laying ceremony is also set for Memorial Day at the Hatfield Family Cemetery in Sarah Ann, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and home to a life-size marble statue of patriarch William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield. During the ceremony, the recipient of the organization’s $1,000 2026 Hatfield Scholarship will be announced. The scholarship is awarded through an essay competition open to high school seniors.
Society president William K. “Billy” Hatfield, a great-grandson of Devil Anse, said Memorial Day carries a meaning in Appalachia that goes beyond the national holiday.
“Memorial Day holds a profound, layered significance in Appalachia that goes far beyond a three-day weekend,” Hatfield said. “In this region, the holiday isn’t just about national service; it’s a deeply personal ritual that intertwines military sacrifice with a fierce devotion to family lineage.”
Hatfield and McCoy history
The Hatfield-McCoy feud, which played out along the Tug River Valley border between West Virginia and Kentucky in the decades following the Civil War, has become one of the most well-known stories in American folklore. The conflict between the two families — the Hatfields led by William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield on the West Virginia side and the McCoys led by Randolph “Ole Ran’l” McCoy on the Kentucky side — spanned roughly 30 years and left dozens dead before fading into legend.
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