Founded in 1871 by railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington, the city of Huntington has a dramatic and colorful past. The mystery of the daring 1875 holdup of the town's premier bank was never solved, and many suspected the infamous James Gang. The 1937 flood was the most devastating in city history. Of course, Huntington has had its share of famous residents, including Dr. Carter G. Woodson, widely recognized as the father of Black History Month, and Woody Williams, whose bravery at Iwo Jima earned him the Medal of Honor. Amateur historian and local journalist James E. Casto compiles fascinating and unusual stories from his long career at the Huntington Herald-Dispatch.
Over the years, amateur historian James E. Casto has researched and written countless newspaper and magazine articles exploring people, places and events in the history of Huntington, West Virginia. Upon the author’s retirement from the Herald-Dispatch in 2004, Marshall University presented him with its John Marshall Medal of Civic Responsibility. In 2005, he was inducted into the Greater Huntington Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Cabell County Public Library named its James E. Casto Local History Room in his honor.