We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in West Virginia.
The city in West Virginia with the most number of Klaverns was Matoaka with 3 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Matoaka with 0.0119 Klaverns. There were historically 35 Klaverns in West Virginia, across 26 places in West Virginia with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in West Virginia based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
3 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in West Virginia
2 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in West Virginia
2 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in West Virginia
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where West Virginia’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Mountain State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In West Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matoaka | 252 | 3 | 1,190 |
| 2 | Keystone | 246 | 1 | 407 |
| 3 | Northfork | 358 | 1 | 279 |
| 4 | Piedmont | 867 | 1 | 115 |
| 5 | Logan | 1,896 | 2 | 105 |
| 6 | Mullens | 2,020 | 2 | 99 |
| 7 | Hinton | 2,615 | 1 | 38 |
| 8 | Wellsburg | 2,763 | 1 | 36 |
| 9 | Follansbee | 2,949 | 1 | 34 |
| 10 | Ravenswood | 3,853 | 1 | 26 |
| 11 | Grafton | 5,179 | 1 | 19 |
| 12 | Keyser | 5,350 | 1 | 19 |
| 13 | Princeton | 6,387 | 1 | 16 |
| 14 | Clarksburg | 16,437 | 2 | 12 |
| 15 | Oak Hill | 8,270 | 1 | 12 |
| 16 | Moundsville | 8,960 | 1 | 11 |
| 17 | Parkersburg | 31,195 | 3 | 10 |
| 18 | Bluefield | 10,465 | 1 | 10 |
| 19 | St. Albans | 10,939 | 1 | 9 |
| 20 | Wheeling | 28,129 | 2 | 7 |
| 21 | Morgantown | 30,133 | 2 | 7 |
| 22 | Martinsburg | 17,508 | 1 | 6 |
| 23 | Beckley | 17,529 | 1 | 6 |
| 24 | Weirton | 19,523 | 1 | 5 |
| 25 | Huntington | 49,053 | 1 | 2 |
| 26 | Charleston | 50,911 | 1 | 2 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 26 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In West Virginia
When you’re looking at the places in West Virginia with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in West Virginia with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Matoaka, Keystone, Northfork, Piedmont, Logan, Mullens, Hinton, Wellsburg, Follansbee, and Ravenswood.
