Mount Hope, WV (Tour) - Clio

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1. Siltex Mine Portal and Memorial

On Saturday, July 23, 1966, disaster rocked the sleepy village of Mount Hope when an explosion occurred in Siltex Mine. Siltex (sometimes spelled Siltix) was operated on the edge of town by the New River Company, which was based in Mount Hope. A number of factors led to the explosion. Poor ventilation led to the accumulation of methane and other gases and standard space segmenting practices had not been followed. The foreman was the only person in the mine equipped with a flame safety lamp that should have been issued to every miner. Finally, all electric equipment in the area of the explosion was improperly contained and maintained. An errant spark from one of these electronics is what ultimately catalyzed the explosion. Seven miners in the immediate vicinity of the explosion were killed and two were severely injured. Thirty-nine other miners escaped relatively unharmed, though many of them were forced to barricade themselves in the mine until ventilation could be reestablished. According to state and federal reports, the accident was unequivocally the result of extreme negligence on the part of the New River Company, though the company refused to accept responsibility for the tragedy. The Siltex mine continued to operate until 1984, when the entrance was sealed. The memories of miners who lost their lives in the 1966 disasters still live on as surviving relatives and community members honor their lives at a yearly memorial service.

2. Aide's Department Store

After a major fire swept the town in 1910, Mount Hope began to rebuild. By 1912 many of the Main Street buildings were rebuilt using stone and had returned to serving area consumers. This particular building opened its doors as one of the first post-fire hardware stores in Mount Hope. The two-story commercial structure is vernacular in style, though with some Art Deco influences. A painted historic sign on the side of the building advertises it as “Mount Hope’s only complete department store.” Owned and operated by L.C. Patteson, the business was later sold to Andrew and George B. Aide in 1931. Successful Aide’s stores were also opened in Rainelle and Fairlea, and the Aide's department store brand became recognized among many coalfield families. The store became an icon of Mount Hope as well as Southern West Virginia. Andrew Aide worked hard to maintain a thriving business in the city of Mount Hope. His sons followed in their father's footsteps, but soon it became necessary for daughters Geneva and Frances to maintain the family business. After obtaining her degree in education from Buchannon College, Geneva returned home not to teach, but to become a staple in Mount Hope society. The two sisters continued to operate the store until Frances' death. In the early 1990s, Geneva sold the building to its current owners. The site is now owned by the Laczniaks of Virginia and is operated by sisters Susan and Linda. Maintaining the building’s historic roots, the sisters sell a variety of items and objects and the store is known as Antique's at Aide's.

3. Main Street Buildings - Garret & McNabb Block

With an architecturally distinctive stair-step façade, this district reflects Main Street commerce within the New River coal fields, featuring commercial architecture post-dating the fire of 1910. The Garret and McNabb block of Mount Hope was completely rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1910. After losing the entire downtown commercial district, it was decided to utilize stone to rebuild the area. Five five-bay buildings and one three-bay building were built. With the exception of the three-bay building, each structure had space for two stores on the ground floor and six offices on the upper floor. The three-bay building had space for three stores. The stair-step facade utilized in these structures was a common architectural feature throughout the coal fields. Many different businesses have lined the streets of Mount Hope throughout the years including hardware stores, barber shops, pharmacies, and the local hang-out known as the Sweet Shop. However, as West Virginia's economy has suffered, so too have West Virginia's downtown districts. Most of the storefronts and offices are now abandoned, and one of the buildings has been demolished. Though this block still serves as a portal to Mount Hope, the fabric of the area has changed dramatically over the past century.

4. Old Stone Bank/First National Bank

Built in 1895, Old Stone Bank is one of the oldest remaining structures in Mount Hope. The building is the only structure in the area to utilize ashlar sandstone. In fact, this material is what allowed the bank to survive the Great Fire of 1910, which destroyed all nearby wooden buildings. The site was originally occupied by First National Bank and served the proliferation of local merchants and coal companies in the area. The New River coalfield was brimming with independent coal producers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and banking services were critical. First National Bank served area residents until the 1910 conflagration. When the smoke began to settle on that fateful day, the only structures still standing in town were the Mount Hope Christian Church and the First National Bank Building. Restoration of the building was a top priority since repairs were limited to the interior of the structure. The bank once again opened its doors and operated in the town for many years to come. A telephone company and several medical offices have also been located in this building over the years.

5. Masonic Temple & Princess Theater

Ravaged by the fire of 1910, the town of Mount Hope began to receive investment by the New River Company through a series of commercial construction projects. Left without a regular meeting spot, the Masons organization began accepting donations from area businessmen to build a lodge to serve their needs. This campaign culminated in the construction of the Mount Hope Masonic Temple in 1925. The structure is one of Mount Hope’s only examples of Neo-Classical Revival architecture; it was also the first fireproof building in the state. The temple typifies the architectural style of Masonic buildings at the time, which places a large non-functional classical pediment one story up from the ground floor. While the top floors contain masonic offices and meeting spaces, the bottom floors were rented as traditional storefronts. The building’s most famous commercial occupant was the Princess Theater (sometimes called the Princess Playhouse). The 800-seat auditorium hosted both stage and film productions for decades. In addition to community activities, the Masonic Temple was used to store ammunition during World War II, likely due to its fireproof nature.

6. Bon-Bon's Confectionery and Hardware

Established in the 1920s, this soda fountain and candy shop was operated by the Bonifacio family, and was a gathering place for residents for many years. The building is actually two interconnected storefronts that were completed around 1912. The Mount Hope Coal and Coke Company used the buildings as offices until 1920, when they sold the property to Sam and Mary Bonfacio. The Bonifacios founded Bon Bon's Confectionery and Hardware in 1920. The business served as both a cobbler shop and confectionery store. Sam later gave up his trade as a cobbler, choosing instead to operate a hardware store and confectionery. The hardware store remained open until 1968. Mr. Bonifacio's children, Algisa, Floyd, and his wife, Phyllis, found running both businesses to be too much for just the three of them. The hardware store was repurposed to become a storage area. The confectionery continued to be a hang-out spot for local teenagers until Mount Hope Middle School consolidated with Mount Hope High in 2004. The reconfiguration moved much of Bon Bon’s business across town. This iconic Mount Hope store remained open until the summer of 2018, when Phyllis Bonifacio began to experience health issues that limited her ability to continue working. The Bonifacio family still own the property and are active in decorating the storefront for local events.

7. Mount Hope YMCA and Community Center

Built in 1921 for a cost of $110,000 the Loop Creek YMCA has been a community gathering place for a century. The YMCA was a collaboration between the New River Company and Fayette County residents, as both parties saw the value of building an athletics complex in the area. Renowned West Virginia architect H. Rus Warne designed the structure, which was the finest Y.M.C.A to be built in a city of Mount Hope's size in the United States. Over the years, many changes have been made, though the building has largely remained operational as an athletic facility. Current preservation efforts are ongoing to convert the YMCA into a mixed-use community center so that it may continue serving Fayette County residents.

8. Stadium Terrace Housing Development

This housing development was constructed in 1939 as a proof of concept for low-income housing. Eleanor Roosevelt had seen the effects of economic depression and a collapsing coal economy in rural West Virginia and had a personal hand in selecting Mount Hope as the site of this initiative. Roosevelt also worked tirelessly to realize the project. West Virginia architect H. Rus Warne designed the twenty-five simple and identical wooden homes. This development and other prototypes like it led to the creation of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is the only low-income housing prototype from this era to still stand in the United States. The homes continue to be rented to by local owners.

9. New River Company Store

This structure, built in 1941, was one of the company stores owned by the New River Company, serving miners and their families from the surrounding coal camps. The site was originally the location of the MacDonald Depot for the Kanawha, Glen Jean & Eastern Railway. As the coal industry in the area began to grow, operations of the New River Company required a company store for its employees. They chose this site as the location for the MacDonald Company Store, in part due to its proximity to the railroad. The original 1893 building was constructed of wood. A 1925 fire destroyed the company store and several other surrounding buildings. After the fire, the Macdonald Company Store moved to the site which originally housed Rite's Candy Kitchen. The New River Company then built a new namesake company store at the location in 1941. Following the demise of the coal industry in the middle of the twentieth century, came the closure of the company store. The building now houses the congregation of the Glorious Church of God in Christ.

10. Mount Hope Post Office & WPA Mural

The Mount Hope Post Office was built in 1940 to replace an older 1872 building. Works Progress Administration funds paid for the one-story red brick Colonial Revival Structure. The building was designed by Louis A. Simon and Neal A. Melick, Supervising Architect and Engineer for the United States Treasury Department, respectively. In addition to being a significant unmodified WPA building, the post office also contains the mural Mining, which was painted by Michael Lenson. Lenson was a famous WPA muralist and administrator who created a number of works around the United States. Just twenty years after the piece was completed, Mining was recognized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum when the institution acquired a preparatory study for the mural. The study was also included in a 2019-2020 Whitney Museum of Art exhibition titled “La Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945.” The mural can still be seen in situ in the Mount Hope Post Office.

11. New River Company General Offices

The New River Company was formed by Samuel Dixon in the early days of the twentieth century. Dixon was known for his heavy community involvement and interest in improving the conditions of miners and other works. Dixon continued to pilot the New River Company through Mount Hope’s catastrophic 1910 fire and was instrumental in funding reconstruction in the town. In 1913, Dixon was replaced and a new era of New River Company management took over the company. One of the first orders of business was erecting a new general office in Mount Hope. This rectangular commercial style building was completed in 1917. The New River Company operated from the building for decades and it served as the company’s general headquarters. Though Dixon had long departed, the New River Company remained invested in Mount Hope and hosted many events to give back to the community. By the 1980s, the New River Company was forced to close as the coal industry evaporated. The New River Company General Offices building remains in use as office space for local businesses.

12. Mountainair Hotel

The Mountainair Hotel was built in 1911 and replaced what had been known as the Old Blake Inn that was destroyed in the 1910 Mt. Hope fire. The business was heavily sponsored by coal companies and wealthy investors in the coal industry, as the hotel primarily served those travelling to Mount Hope on business. No expense was spared in the construction or furnishing of the building, and by the early 1930s, the Mountainair was known as one of the finest hotels in southern West Virginia. The hotel remained the center of cultural life in Mount Hope until the 1960s. After a long period of vacancy, the building was purchased and is being restored for business, community and personal use. It now houses the Coal Bucket Coffee Shop, a subsidiary company of Harmony for Hope, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving the communities of West Virginia with music, art, and Appalachia Heritage programs.

13. Mount Hope Municipal Stadium

The Mount Hope Municipal Stadium was designed in 1933 by a father and son native to Mount Hope. George Siems Sr., a civil engineer, enlisted the assistance of his son, George Siems Jr. Siems Jr. was a mechanical drawing student with a penchant for medieval aesthetics. The two Siems collaborated on this stadium design. Public fundraising procured one thousand dollars in donations which were used to purchase an approximately four and a half acre area of land. The Hatfield Construction Company was contracted to build the facility, which was completed in 1936. The stadium’s defining feature is a large ashlar wall constructed of local sandstone. An entrance to the stadium is flanked by crenellated towers. Immigrant Italian stonemasons performed much of the work chiselling and fitting the large sandstone blocks. During construction, it was necessary to remove a large amount of stone from the stadium area. This stone was reused to help build Mount Hope’s streets.Funding for construction of the stadium and other infrastructure came from several Works Progress Administration grants. The stadium was initially used for a variety of high school athletics, especially football. In fact, Siems Jr. himself scored a touchdown on the field during a high school football match. After a decade of use, an additional one and one-tenth acres were purchased in 1946 to accommodate a perimeter road and additional walls. The Mount Hope Mustangs played on this field from 1936 until their school's consolidation in 2011. A 2020 storm knocked down over one hundred feet of walls, and though they were quickly repaired, the incident indicates the age of the site. Currently, the stadium is the home of the Mount Hope Youth Football League. The future of the stadium is unclear. It remains owned by the city, and despite there being no plans to cease usage of the site, there are also no concrete plans for continued operation.

14. DuBois High School (1917-1950)

One of two all Black high schools in Fayette County, West Virginia prior to integration, DuBois High School was erected in 1917 and served until 1950. The building had eight classrooms and only one microscope to share among the student body. Dubois High School was destroyed by a fire in 1950, and the students were scattered through out the city of Mt. Hope for four years until a new school was built. DuBois on Main is a local history museum dedicated to preserving the remaining history about DuBois High School, and is owned and operated by a DuBois High School alumni, Jean Evansmore.

15. DuBois High School (1954-1956) Mt. Hope High School (1956-2011)

Operating as DuBois High School between 1954 and 1956 and Mt. Hope High School after integration in 1956, this school served the Mt. Hope community until 2011. Originally constructed as a high school for the students and faculty of the former DuBois High School after it was destroyed by a 1950 fire, the school is one of only a few examples where integration led to the closure of an all-white high school and the transfer of white students to a formerly all-Black high school. Rather than operate the now integrated school under the name of W.E.B. DuBois, an influential Black scholar, the school board renamed this building Mt. Hope High School when it was opened to students of all races in 1956. The local school board also fired many of the Black teachers of the former DuBois High School and placed white educators and administrators in charge of the school. In its early years, extra-curricular opportunities for Black students were much more limited than they had been in the past. Mt. Hope High School closed in 2011, and students were sent to nearby Oak Hill High School. The building is currently home to the Mount Hope Heritage Center. The history of this school is recognized by a historical marker that was dedicated on September 1st, 2018.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Mount Hope, WV

Created by Iain MacKay on May 25th 2021, 6:17:33 pm.

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Description

The Mount Hope area was used by Native Americans for centuries before European arrival. Following the exchange of lands from Native Americans to the Virginia Colony, William Blake Sr. became the first white settler in the area. Mount Hope’s growth was slow at first. Once the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad was completed in 1873, Mount Hope’s population exploded. Between 1894 and 1940, the town experienced great prosperity, though this was interrupted by one of southern West Virginia’s worst ever urban fires, which occurred in 1910. However, the fire did nothing to significantly hinder Mount Hope’s growth and the town enjoyed continued success until after World War II. As the coal industry waned in the latter half of the twentieth century, so too did Mount Hope. By 1980, the city retained only a third of its peak population, though efforts to revitalize Mount Hope are ongoing.

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