Malden, WV

Just a few miles east of downtown Charleston along the Kanawha River, Malden is a small, quiet community with deep historic roots. Long before it settled into a peaceful neighborhood of a few hundred people, the area was known as Kanawha Salines and served as the center of the valley's booming salt industry. During the nineteenth century, brine wells and furnaces turned the riverbank into a busy commercial hub, leaving behind historic homes and landmark buildings that still give the town its distinctive character.

ATTRhttps://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/wv0166.photos.172955p / Public domain

Malden is also famous as the boyhood home of Booker T. Washington, who moved here with his family in 1865. He worked in the local salt furnaces and coal mines while attending school in town, beginning the journey that shaped his life as an educator and author. Today, the area features a replica of his childhood cabin, Booker T. Washington Park, and the historic African Zion Baptist Church. For anyone looking to relocate to the Charleston area, Malden provides a relaxed, scenic setting with rich history and an easy commute into the city.