Bramwell West Virginia’ s Historic Collins House A beautiful home in historic Bramwell, West Virginia welcomes the season with holiday finery. Meandering around the Bluestone River in Mercer County West Virginia, lies the picturesque town of Bramwell. The town at once melds architecture and nature and indeed native wildlife like the Great Blue Heron and white tailed deer are often spotted on the banks of the river which is juxtaposed against brick lined streets that echo an earlier time. Bramwell was established in 1888 and witnessed the meteoric rise of coal at the turn of the century. It was this explosion of coal that helped foster the industrial revolution in the resulting gilded age and established Bramwell’ s notoriety. Once known as the“ Town of Millionaires” because it had the largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States. Chanel No. 5 perfume at the local apothecary and tales of money being transferred from the bank in wheelbarrows created the Bramwell legend but the great depression also left its mark and the town glided silently into the mid-century. What did remain in Bramwell were the beautiful homes that had been built by the coal barons and industrialists, a magnificent mélange of late nineteenth and early twentieth architecture. In 1984, Bramwell was placed on the national register of historic places by the United States Department of the Interior. It is also on the West Virginia Coal Heritage Trail. The Collins House located on Bramwell’ s historic Main Street is one such architectural gem. Built in 1903 by coal operator Jairus Collins, it is a handsome house built in the vernacular style with a cross-gabled roof and German lathe siding. Painted yellow with smart red and green gingerbread trim and stained glass windows, it epitomizes the eclectic architecture found in the town. In 2023, Don and Pam Thompson moved from North Carolina to Brammell.“ We wanted to be closer to family and back to the mountains, explained Pam. We also thought the house would be a great home for a possible Bed and Breakfast. We fell in love with the house, the hardwood floors, the fire places and mantels, the stained glass windows, the architecture and the historic town of Bramwell. The front porch swing brings back childhood memories of my grandmother and we love having
Don and Pam Thompson owners of Collins House.
the extra space; a living room, parlor and French doors to the dining room.” But with historic houses there are challenges as well. After all, it is not a life for everyone.“ Well for us, says Don, it is maintaining the outside with the wood siding and landscaping. We are adding more flowers and shrubs each year.” Both Don and Pam are retired, he from the city of Greensboro and Pam from Lexington Senior School, in Lexington North Carolina. They have discovered a new and busy life in Bramwell. Don, who is originally from Coalwood West Virginia, has other ties to the area. In the 1970’ s, he worked for Homer Hickem Sr. for six years at Olga Coal Company in Coalwood.( Homer wrote the novel Rocket Boys which was made into the movie October Sky and is quite the West Virginia celebrity).
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