Town file
Pemberton, West Virginia
Pemberton, West Virginia (Raleigh County, West Virginia) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 434, "A Nearly Headless Horror Scene" (21 October 2023).
- Town
- Pemberton
- County
- Raleigh County
- State
- West Virginia
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 434
- Approximate location
- 37.718, -81.219
Episode 434 / 21 October 2023 / 70 min / express
A Nearly Headless Horror Scene
"This is in Pemberton, West Virginia. It is in southern West Virginia, in the middle of nowhere... 15 minutes to Beckley. So, um, in Raleigh County there was miners back in the day here." about 0:03:36
The case: Murder of Ronda McCoy (June 18, 2011). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2023
- Population
- 930
- Median home value
- $99,900
History, in brief
- Pemberton is located on Soak Creek. about 0:05:40
- The town was opened by the Pemberton Fuel Company in the 1910s. about 0:05:48
- Later the Coplers Coal Company and the Lillybrooke Coal Company mined there, and the town had a company store. about 0:05:59
- The first post office opened in 1880 and had closed by 1993. about 0:06:08
- During the 1902-1903 New River coal strike an armed posse led by US Marshals shot up miners' houses with their families inside at the Battle of Staniford, killing at least six people. about 0:06:22
- The men who carried out the shooting were later acquitted. about 0:06:47
- The Battle of Staniford was a prelude to the West Virginia Coal Wars. about 0:06:55
The reviews read out
4 stars
"There are no earthquakes of any significance, hurricanes or tornadoes; there is some flooding in heavy storms but not all the time, and the seasons differ in severity from year to year."about 0:07:07
3 stars
"Most families in the area work for the federal prison, the coal mines, education or small business; there is not a large variety of jobs."about 0:07:47
2 stars
"The local news usually shows a shooting or murder relatively close by, and most criminals are not being found and processed."about 0:08:01
2 stars
"People seem to pass by without even saying hi and just mind their own business."about 0:08:26
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Beckley, West Virginia4.9 miles
- Layland, West Virginia18 miles
- Lashmeet, West Virginia20 miles
- Princeton, West Virginia25 miles
- Victor, West Virginia30 miles
- Skygusty, West Virginia31 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.