Lashmeet, West Virginia

Episode 648 / 15 November 2025 / 73 min / express

Deadly Dark Delusions

"we're going to lash meat west virginia ... it's in pretty much extreme southern west virginia ... this is in mercer county" about 0:03:01

The case: Murder of Michael Walker (July 26, 2020). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2025

Median household income

$40,271 a year

Median home value

$65,700

History, in brief

• Mercer County was named for Revolutionary War general Hugh Mercer. about 0:04:46
• Princeton is the county seat and was named for the Battle of Princeton in New Jersey, where General Mercer died. about 0:04:52
• The first settlers were farmers growing corn, oats and wheat in severe isolation, running a self-sustaining economy with their own salt works, tannery, grist mill and foundry. about 0:05:12
• The first mine opened on Mill Creek in 1884, and the population exploded as out-of-state coal operators moved in. about 0:05:40
• Lashmeet was likely named after a local family called the Lashmeet or Lashmutt family. about 0:06:14
• The town developed because of early twentieth-century coal mining. about 0:06:22

The reviews read out

Open the episode file