HAZEL DICKS AND 4 OTHER WOMEN WHO SHAPED MERCER COUNTY, WV

March is Women’s History Month. From bluegrass stages to literary movements and historic hotels, women in Mercer County, West Virginia, helped shape the world beyond the mountains of West Virginia. Read bout these five extraordinary women:

Hazel Dickens: Bluegrass singer, songwriter and labor activist

  • Born in Montcalm, a coal camp community in Mercer County, West Virginia
  • One of eleven children in a musical coal mining family
  • Father was a Primitive Baptist preacher and worked cutting wood for coal companies
  • Left the coalfields before age 20, eventually joining the 1960s bluegrass and folk revival
  • Often returned home to West Virginia, where her roots shaped her music
  • Wrote and performed songs centered on workers’ rights, women’s voices, and mining life
  • Recorded 11 albums over her career
  • Influenced generations of bluegrass and folk musicians
  • Passed away April 22, 2011
  • Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017

Anne Spencer: Poet, teacher and civil rights leader

  • Lived in Bramwell, West Virginia, as a child
  • Attended Virginia Seminary at age 11
  • Returned to Bramwell to teach before later moving back to Virginia
  • Connected to the Harlem Renaissance literary movement
  • Maintained relationships with W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson
  • Explored themes of race, faith, and the natural world in her poetry
  • Her collected works were published posthumously in 1977
  • A swinging bridge in Bramwell honors her literary legacy

Thelma Hall: Female leader in hospitality and business

  • Founded and operated Hotel Thelma in Bluefield, West Virginia
  • Created a safe and welcoming space for Black travelers during segregation
  • Listed in The Green Book, the national guide for Black motorists
  • Hosted major musicians including Ike and Tina Turner and Etta James
  • Built one of the region’s most significant Black-owned hospitality businesses

Elizabeth Kee: Political leader

  • Born in Radford, Virginia, but made her life and career in Bluefield, West Virginia
  • Became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia
  • Won a special election in 1951 following the death of her husband, Congressman John Kee
  • Re-elected to multiple terms, serving in Congress from 1951 to 1965
  • Advocated for veterans, coalfield communities, infrastructure, and economic development
  • Helped secure federal investment that supported southern West Virginia’s growth
  • Buried in Bluefield, where her legacy remains part of the community’s story

Olivia Davidson Washington: Educator

  • Born in Bluefield, West Virginia
  • Became an educator at a time when opportunities for Black women were extremely limited
  • Later married Booker T. Washington
  • Played a key role in the development and fundraising efforts of Tuskegee Institute
  • Helped expand educational opportunities for Black students in the late 19th century
  • Advocated for industrial and academic education
  • Passed away in 1889, but her influence continued through the growth of Tuskegee

Pictured: Hazel Dickens, Anne Spencer and family and Elizabeth Kee.

Last updated: March 3, 2026