Kimball is a town in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 145. Kimball was incorporated in 1911 and named for Frederick J. Kimball, a railroad official. Kimball is the site of the first war memorial building erected in memory of the African-American veterans of World War I. As of 2024, the town still has a municipal government, where the mayor also acts as the town's only police officer.

History

The Kimball mining disaster took place on July 18, 1919, at the Carswell coal mine in Kimball, killing six miners. Initial reports said that 221 men had been killed, but they were trapped by the explosion. A rescue party was able to dig through the wreckage, allowing 215 to return alive to the surface.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

The town is on the Norfolk Southern Railway (former Norfolk and Western) network.

Demographics