When the first petrochemical plant came to West Virginia in 1920, the locals found themselves on the cutting edge of this newfangled industry. Union Carbide had chosen Clendenin, West Virginia for this honor…and the people rejoiced.
Five years later, when the plant’s needs grew so large that they had to relocate, operations moved to South Charleston’s Blaine Island area adjacent to the Kanawha River, seemingly the ideal spot for a petrochemical company to do its thing and continue to expand.