la fin d'une époque

Out Of Gas

Ed Shepard, 88, waits for customers at his downtown gas station in Welch, W.Va. He has owned the place for 62 years and thinks the end is near for his shop. "I only had one customer today, and that's not going to pay the bills," he said. "This used to be a boom town. It's so sad to see what's happened to this city," he added. Welch is the seat of McDowell County, population 22,000, down almost 100,000 in 1950. Most of the businesses in downtown Welch are shuttered. McDowell County is the poorest in the state and one of the poorest in the country.

Photos : Michael S. Williamson

The Washington Post