Following the Hatfield and McCoy Feud

I have never understood the fascination with the Hatfield and McCoy feud. The entire situation seemed fueled by members of two groups consistently trying to prove their worth but who were really on more of a race to the bottom, not unlike the violence and irrational behavior between rival gangs of now. I will even be the first to confess, I never saw the Hatfield and McCoy miniseries on the History Channel because I am that disinterested and, truthfully, I just can’t stand Kevin Costner (fun fact: both Kevin Costner and I briefly attended, but did not graduate, from Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California).

Nonetheless, when the Hatfield and McCoy Geo Trail was published we eagerly accepted the challenge to be among the first 400 to complete the Geo Trail and receive a geocoin to commemorate the accomplishment. I can’t remember what time we left Morgantown to set out for the coalfields of West Virginia and Kentucky, but when we arrived at our first stop, parked behind a church bus from Mississippi, the rain was pouring and I was a little concerned about how successful we would be.

Our initiation to the geotrail involved a steep trudge up the muddy and rocky driveway to the old cemetery where Hatfield patriarch, “Devil” Anse Hatfield, was buried. Despite the perception of seclusion in the narrow holler a group of about 20 were looking on the grave monument while a local historian described Devil Anse. The rain seemed only appropriate because this man seemed miserable.

Into Matewan we stopped at a historical marker that described the feud. Across the river from Matewan was a site far more dismal. Three of the McCoy boys had been returned alive as promised, but because Ellison Hatfield had succumbed to wounds inflicted by a McCoy, the boys were tied to a tree and fifty shots later none had a hope of survival. It was easy to imagine such horrific events on such a dismal day.

Despite the hot feud, romance between Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy somehow bloomed. The two ran off, with Roseanne even living under Devil Anse’s roof for a time. But Johnse wasn’t going to settle down and left his fling pregnant and unable to return home. Roseanna found quarters with her aunt. On the other hand, the baby survived less than a year and is buried in the cemetery across the road and up the hill from her aunt’s home. The real kicker in this is that Johnse eventually married Roseanna’s 15-year-old  cousin. The historical marker at the foot of the stairs to the historic cemetery reads like the summary of a daytime talkshow.

The skies began to clear as we approached the home site of Randall McCoy. The only evidence of the home that was there is the hand-dug well, which is maintained by the current owner of the property. The current property owner has generously decided that the site belongs to everyone and welcomes guests to park in his driveway and walk over to the well and imagine the area in the years just after the Civil War. Knowing the story well, the property owner added dimension by informing us the McCoy boys who had been murdered were buried on the hillside across the holler so that Mrs. McCoy could see her sons each day. It was such a bucolic place.

Perplexing for me is the feud began over a pig. Times were hard then, but I still can’t imagine a pig instigating a blood feud. But a pig showed up on Hatfield property so they claimed ownership. So did the McCoys. A jury of six Hatfields and six McCoys decided that the pig belonged to the Hatfields. Selkirk McCoy sided with the Hatfields. The case was decided by “Preacher Anse” Hatfield. Preacher Anse’s cabin has been restored and rests below the Hatfield Family Cemetery. In this cemetery is a washstand used by the Hatfields. Feud history aside, it is an interesting relic of Appalachian life at that time.

We continued on the trail toward Pikeville, Kentucky. With six geocaches (of 15) remaining, we sought the grave of “Bad” Frank Philips. His grave is deep in a holler and involved gravel roads narrowly hemmed in between trailers and a creek. Upon arrival it is clear this cemetery has only recently seen efforts of maintenance and improvement. Some of the steps to the burial sites are uneven and loose. Frank’s wife, Nancy McCoy (her first husband, as indicated above, was Johnse Hatfield), is buried here, but so are a few others. Particularly startling was a primitive grave stone from 1992. It appeared to be made of a small square of cement with the last name and year of death written in it by hand with a stick. Times were hard for the Hatfield and McCoys, and the times continue to be very hard in eastern Kentucky.

The last five sites toured us around Pikeville, Kentucky. Numerous times we caught ourselves saying how nice the city looked and how it exceeded our expectations. The university and medical school look to be modern, quality institutions and many of the neighborhoods are populated with beautiful homes.

We finished the trail at the Dils Cemetery. Here many of the McCoy family members are buried, including patriarch Randolph McCoy. It seemed appropriate because we began with the burial place of Devil Anse. The feud was officially ended in 1891. The silence was evident in each of the cemeteries we visited. While many of the descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys moved on, some remain in the area and add dimension to the tale.

As we finished up at the cemetery one of the two people who took the effort to place the caches came up the hill. Our timing was perfect. Before we left Pikeville we were able to obtain our geocoins, evidence we completed this historical challenge!

I still don’t really understand the allure of the feud. It seems like a relic from a certain era of American history, but it’s a story that could be told just as easily today. In fact, I think it’s a story you can see on daytime TV. The differences between the Hatfields and the McCoys still separate us today and the results of brutality toward one another are no less damaging than they were then.

We returned to Morgantown after 2:00am. Exhausted, but thrilled.