111 ST. CLAIR STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
Built in 1903, the building became home to the First National Bank on Saint Claire Street. Designed by Philadelphia architects Hazlehurst and Huckle, it has arched windows and arched doorways with two large columns at the entrance in Richardsonian style. Superior metalwork is abundant in the doorway and front of the building, with a small metal balcony greeting guests from the front. The closure of the bank quickly transitioned this building to a “Company” doctor’s office where Dr. H. H. Ballard practiced and lived in the apartment above his office. The apartment still has the original kitchen area intact, and the office downstairs still has much of the furnishings and fixtures intact. Having a street entrance into the basement. The building is in the Pocahontas Historical District.
240 CENTER STREET / 101 EAST WATER STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
Company Store – now an empty lot
The “Company Store” was the first store that the Pocahontas Fuel Company ever built (in 1883). is still in existence in Pocahontas, Virginia. The company built many stores in Bishop, Switchback, Itmann, and others through the years. But this was their first. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, when Consol took over Pocahontas Fuel in 1958, they kept this store open until August 30, 1980. Sadly, this building was lost in 2010, and an empty lot remains.
221WEST WATER STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
A historic landmark first erected in 1888 by Hungarian laborers, “It’s the old African American Methodist Church. The story is told that this church was the most expensive building to be constructed. The building was also known initially as the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1927, it became the Community Church. The Methodist and Episcopal split, and it just became the Community Methodist Church in 1927.
179 CENTER STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
The Pocahontas Library building was built in 1903 and was home to the Emma Yates Millinery Shop. Ms. Emma Yates lived in the apartment above her shop, being an early designer and entrepreneur whose hats are still on display among the library’s bookshelves.
This building hosts the last remaining complete “iron front” in the town. When Historic Pocahontas, Inc. (HPI) obtained the building, extensive remodeling was done. In 1987, Historic Pocahontas, Inc. donated the use of this building, operated by the community group “Abbs Valley/ Boissevain/ Pocahontas Library, Inc. utilizing the historical name “Emma Yates Library” until October 2021 when the Tazewell County Public Library began operations.
124 EAST WATER STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
Built during World War II and completed in 1942. Pocahontas Fuel Building was the grand corporate headquarters of the Pocahontas Fuel Company, Inc. At its peak, there were as many as 150 employees, including all executives, engineers, and personnel. It is a three-story brick building with granite floors, marble walls in the bathrooms, marble steps, and imported black marble from India on the front entrance. It was boasting over 20,400 square feet of luxury. No expense was spared. It remains the largest building in town and is still impressive today.
From 1942 until 1954, the “Fuel Building” was the corporate office of Pocahontas Fuel Company. In the 1940s and 1950s, it was the second-largest producer of bituminous coal.
In 1958, they merged with Pittsburgh Consolidated to create Consolidated Coal Company, and in 1958, the corporation became Consol Energy.
6980 – 6988 ABBS VALLEY ROAD – ABBS VALLEY, VA
The Captain James Moore Homestead is an archeological site located in Abb’s Valley and is associated with the earliest European American frontier settlement of the area begun in 1770’s. James Moore moved with his family to Abb’s Valley in the decade after the French and Indian War. He fought as a militia captain during the American Revolution at the 178 Battle of Guilford Court House. Captain Moore returned to his frontier outpost and sustained his homestead there until July 14, 1786, when Shawnee Indians allied with the British, killed him, and killed or captured his family. Surviving members returned to the homestead in 1798 and lived at or near the original site until 1822. Artifacts recovered from intact cultural deposits at the site verify this chronology and provide additional information important to understanding frontier settlement in southwest Virginia.
Information from Tazewell County Website.
134 MOORE STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
The church was formally organized on October 28, 1891, and held its first service in the Pocahontas Baptist Church. The first regular pastor was Reverend H.H. Hawes. The present church construction was started in 1892 and completed in 1893. In January 1970, the Pocahontas Presbyterian Church was dissolved. It has a unique interior design with no center aisle. It is said that the long, uninterrupted pews allowed worship in unison without division.
POCAHONTAS, VA
Formally a railroad bed that stored railroad coal cars ready to be shipped. Today, it serves as a park, kids’ playground, volleyball court, basketball court, and a stage, plus two covered spaces. There is a walking trail that encompasses the park and leads a trail toward the exhibition mine. There are plans to upgrade the park and one piece of new playground equipment is in place.
331 CENTRE STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
It served as a passenger station and a freight station for the citizens and business community from 1883 until 1960. On May 7, 1882, combining the Shenandoah Valley Line, the New River Railroad Company of Virginia, the New River Railroad Company of West Virginia, and the East River Railroad Company of West Virginia, the Norfolk and Western Railroad Company was formed with a goal to open the Pocahontas coalfields in southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. Construction began in 1881 and was extremely difficult but was completed in 1883 into Pocahontas. On March 12, 1883, the first car of coal was loaded, and shipments began that opened the coalfields to the public. Coke ovens were built along the tracks, and in June 1883, the first shipment of coke was made to the steel mills. By 1900, the Norfolk and Western Railway fueled half of the world’s navies and stoked steel mills and power plants all over the globe. The Pocahontas Fuel Company corporate offices were located one block from the train station. Freight and passenger service was provided to the population. The first train station was built in 1883, and in 1901, the present station was built. In 1960, the station was closed by N&W, and in 1967, part of the building was lost, and the roof was redone. A caboose is parked near the station, and the yardmasters’ is within 50 yards of the station. Lap siding is on the outside of the building, and it is structurally sound.
The train depot is home to the Center for Christian Action Thrift Store. The “Center” is a non-profit organization that assists low-income households in our community. Historic Pocahontas leases this building to the Center for Christian Action for no charge because of the good they do for our community.
393 CENTRE STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
The yardmaster’s house was built to provide housing for the yardmaster of the Norfolk and Western Railway in Pocahontas. It is a two-story house that initially had board and batten siding. The yardmaster’s duty was to manage the railyard, with the house sitting beside the railyard for ease in observance of all activity. The original concrete wall that borders the road and provides the fence for the yard still exists. The original coal house is partially still intact and should be restored as many of the coal houses no longer exist in the town.
177 CENTRE STREET – POCAHONTAS, VA
The building is located at 177 Center Street. The American Legion rented the bottom basement known as the “Dig Inn,” 22 feet wide and 80 feet long, containing a kitchen and three restrooms. The organization purchased the building in 1924 by paying $3000.00 plus interest on the purchase price of $9000.00. They had a renter that was paying $1200.00 a month. For many years, the Appalachian Electric Power Company was housed in the building.
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