Jul 28, 2022
The mere mention of their names conjures up the images of a vindictive rivalry set to the tune of the 19th century American backwoods. So much has been written about West Virginia’s Hatfields and Kentucky’s McCoys that it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. While feuds were occurring all over the nation, American newspapers singled out this story, where timber and coal was rich, and fortunes could be made once the land was rested away from owners like these who treasured it above such wealth. The Hatfield & McCoy Feud exists at that intersection of provincialism and modernity, and vengeance and opportunism, with a moral that continues to be played out.