Coalwood Today

One of the most popular movies the past year was one that was based on a true story. It was called “October Sky”, and told the story of high school boys in cold war America overcoming all odds and achieving their dreams of learning how to build rockets. It was based on the book “Rocket Boys” by Homer Hickam, Jr. and took place in a small mining town in West Virginia called Coalwood.

Today’s FamSite is a visit to that town as it is today. Here you can see where the events of the book and film took place, from the mine offices to Reverend Richard’s Church, to the Big Creek High School, to the site of Cape Coalwood where the rockets were launched. The tour guide for the tour is Ernest “Red” Carroll, the father of “Jimmie” Odell Carroll, one of the Rocket Boys. It is interesting to see the actual locations after having seen the movie and read the book.

The magic and the inspirational message of “Rocket Boys” and “October Sky” is that the American dream is still alive. Homer dreamed of becoming an engineer with NASA, and he fulfilled that dream. I feel that anyone who visits Coalwood, either via the film, the book, or this site, will find a part of themselves there, and come away better for the visit. Enjoy your stop here.

http://www.labs.net/crabtree/coalwoodp1.htm