Director

Former owner and operator of Bon-Bon's Hardware and Confectionery, Phyllis Bonafacio. 

Former owner Floyd Bonafacio checking prices at his register when the store was in operation. 

Prior to opening the Cobbler Shop and Confectionery in 1920, the buildings were used by the Mount Hope Coal and Coke Company.  Viewed in the front of the building is an ice delivery service.

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.  

Bon-Bon's Confectionery and Hardware 

The Mount Hope Historic District contains 150 structures of architectural significance, as well as a variety of vernacular buildings, which reflect the building traditions prevalent in this part of West Virginia between the 1890s and the 1950s.

Mount Hope Historic Walking Tour

Contributor

Before European settlers arrived, the area around Mount Hope was utilized by Cherokee Native Americans. The Cherokees sold their rights to all land south of the Kanawha River to the Virginia Colony in 1770, though altercations between European settlers and Native Americans continued until 1794. Following a battle in Ohio between Native Americans and men under the command of General Anthony Waynes, conflict waned near Mount Hope. William Blake Sr. capitalized on this newfound peace by purchasing 3,062 acres in what is now Fayette County. Blake paid about two and a half dollars per acre, or about fifty dollars adjusted for inflation. In 1805, Blake and his family became the first permanent white settlers in the area. The Blakes repurposed a Native American stone fort and also built a log cabin, though it was later destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. Despite the rugged terrain of Mount Hope, many travelers passed through the area on their way north or east. Blake offered his cabin as an early inn due to its location near the rudimentary path. When an official state road was to be built through Blake’s land in 1812, he was happy to complete his portion, and ensure that it ran immediately past his inn. Upon Fayette County’s official establishment in 1831, Blake was appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1843, the Kanawha Turnpike was built to link Charleston with the East Coast. This brought an even larger stream of travelers through the Mount Hope area, though only three families lived there permanently. These settlers made their subsistence living through agriculture and husbandry. Their relatively difficult pioneer lives were made easier by the presence of coal outcroppings in the area, which could be easily mined by hand.The presence of coal in Mount Hope’s area eventually catalyzed the city’s growth. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&amp;O) was constructed between 1870 and 1873. It linked the New River Gorge to the rest of the eastern US, opening ample opportunities for business ventures surrounding the coal industry. Fayette County’s population exploded and it became the first county in West Virginia to produce over one million tons of coal in a single year — this record was set in 1888. In 1894, the Loup Creek branch of the C&amp;O was constructed to connect the main C&amp;O line with MacDonald, a town very close to Mount Hope. Mount Hope immediately boomed and within just a few years, four mining operations employing a total of four hundred miners were set up within walking distance of town. The miners were primarily immigrants recruited from eastern and southern Europe and recently emancipated African Americans from the southern US. Evidence suggests that many of the basic infrastructural components of Mount Hope were designed and erected by European stonemasons.Samuel Dixon’s 1893 arrival in Mount Hope heralded a period of great prosperity for the town. Dixon was superintendent and manager of a number of coal companies. These companies shifted, consolidated, and split, until the New River Company was established in 1906. Many residents in Mount Hope were affiliated with the New River Company in some way. Mount Hope’s prosperity was briefly interrupted by a catastrophic fire in 1910. The largest fire the state had seen up to that point, forty businesses and one hundred fifty homes were destroyed with over one thousand residents left homeless. With over $500,000 in damages, insurance only covered thirty percent of this. However, with the aid of the New River Company, Mount Hope immediately set to rebuilding. Paved streets, sewer systems, electrical access, and new stone buildings, rather than wood, were installed throughout town. Mount Hope became known as “Fayette’s Phoenix City” for its renaissance following the fire. Several of the town’s most significant buildings were erected between 1910 and 1920, including a YMCA, Masonic lodge, coal company offices, several churches, and a new affluent residential neighborhood. Mount Hope was chartered as a city in 1921.As the twentieth century continued, Mount Hope waxed on waned based on the whims of the coal market. The town was the site of several federal assistance projects such as the 1939 Eleanor Roosevelt backed Stadium Terrace housing project and the 1940 Works Progress Administration constructed post office. World War II helped spur Mount Hope’s economy, as there was renewed demand for coal to fuel war efforts. However, the 1950s marked the decline of coal as a resource. The New River Company slowed production and gradually closed mines in the area. By 1980, the company had vanished from Mount Hope. With the departure of Mount Hope’s coal industry, many businesses left town and the construction of a new bypass route relegated Mount Hope to a shadow of its former glory. Though the town’s population has fallen by almost a third, various preservation and cultural initiatives are striving to keep “Fayette County’s Phoenix City” alive.

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.

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.  

Siltex Mine Portal and Memorial

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.   

Aide's Department Store

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.

Main Street Buildings - Garret & McNabb Block

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.

Old Stone Bank/First National Bank

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.

Masonic Temple & Princess Theater

In 1913, following the retirement of its founder, Samuel Dixon the New River Company began to experience unprecedented growth. Within a few years, it became the largest producing coal company in Southern West Virginia. At the same time, the town of Mount Hope was experiencing a resurgence following the Great Fire of 1910. The town's revitalization spurred management of the New River Company to expand in the community.  During a time when most of the country was experiencing stagnant growth because of the Great Depression, Mount Hope began to see exponential expansion. Investments made in the area by the New River Company and through public contributions at a federal level, allowed the town to flourish. Mount Hope's most prominent buildings, including the Loop Creek YMCA, were constructed during this era.  With increased coal production so-too came an increase in the population of miners and their families.  Historical census records from 1910 list the town's population at 494 people. Within a decade this area experienced growth at over 400%, seeing the Mount Hope population climb to well over 1900 people.  The New River Company began to see a need to provide workers within the area facilities which resembled those found in larger metropolitan areas. With more residents in the area came a demand for services which provided area boys and girls with cleaner and safer amusements. The New River Company, along with local citizens, rallied together to begin an initiative to bring the YMCA into the second largest town in Fayette County. Citizens began to meet on a regular basis to develop a plan which would provide the area with a facility that could accommodate its needs. Along with help from the New River Company, this group later held a conference with YMCA officials to establish the Loop Creek Young Men's Christian Association. Together these groups were able to solicit enough funds to begin construction. West Virginia architect H. Rus Warne oversaw the completion of the building in late 1921. Dedicated on February 15, 1922, and constructed for approximately $110,000, the YMCA became a major attraction in Mount Hope's community, offering opportunities for residents similar to urban areas. The new sports complex was centrally located to help merge the divide between the up-scale/ management area on the south side of the track and the workforce housing on the north side of the track. This facility offered various amenities to locals in the area including a 60 x 80 ft gymnasium with a stage and dressing rooms. Due to changing fire safety regulations in the 1920s, stairs were added to the front of the building. The building’s alterations allowed for easier access to events held in the banquet hall area. Here, a fully equipped kitchen was available and serviced those residing in the eighteen dormitory rooms located on the third floor. Additionally, local ladies and young men would participate in activities including access to a bowling alley, swimming pool, and billiards. Mount Hope High School was constructed adjacent to the YMCA in 1926.  As education requirements grew, the need for more services for the children attending school within the town increased. The Fayette County Board of Education acquired the YMCA from the New River Company for approximately $9,000 in 1933.  Facility improvements needed to be made to meet the demands of the education system. To make the alterations and additions to the complex, H. Rus Warne was again contracted to complete the construction in 1940. Additions to the building included the replacement of the pool with a hardwood gym floor, as well as the alteration of dressing rooms to accommodate home and visiting teams. Classrooms and a band room were also added. The building was dedicated in 1941, with an exhibition basketball game played by West Virginia University and West Virginia Wesleyan.                     The "Old Gym" as it would come to be colloquially known would continue to maintain its prominence within the town for several generations. Traditionally used as a mixed-use facility, activities regularly held here included: March of Dimes talent shows, Lions Club shows, pep rallies, band concerts, choir performances, and class plays and an account of watching the Harlem Globetrotters. Residents were surveyed in December 2018 to ask what kind of impact this facility played in their life.  They replied with the following: ~"The Gym, as we called it, was a place where men only were allowed."  (Bettyjo Stover) "That's because it was originally a YMCA." (Louis Szuch)~Libby Appleton and Linda Howard Brown could both recall the dances held on the gym floor in events held in the 1950s and through the 70s.  Pat Vallina confirmed their account, "I can remember going to a high school dance with my cousin, Theresa Bryant (Burgess now), in that building and we danced on the gym floor." ~June Thompson Keffer would recant a time in which dances were held on a weekly basis. She along, with local native Thomas Brown, talked about how May Day activities were held here and included all children in the area including elementary students.  Additionally, many stories describe the importance of the facility as a sports complex:~"I had a Physical Education class in 1969. The trampoline was on the second floor right by the window! Sure wouldn’t meet code today, huh?" (Thomas Brown)~Michael Webb, William Davis, and many others would describe how basketball, along with other area sports, held at the complex would impact their lives.  ~Many women would find their voice on the hardwood floors, Saturday morning basketball games and cheerleading!" (Tina Rogers Malloy)Other more solemn memories included accounts of hearing of the passing of John F. Kennedy.  Larry Steele would describe hearing of the event while standing on the front steps of the building. These events tie a community together and instill a sense of "Mustang Pride" that can still be felt even after consolidation. As times have changed, so has the use of this facility.  Due to various reasons, the Fayette County Board of Education alternated the location of the Middle and High School at this place. In the Spring of 2003, the consolidation of Mount Hope Middle with Mount Hope High occurred, meaning the building would no longer serve a purpose for the school system.  The City of Mount Hope purchased the building in 2004 and began utilizing the facility as a Community Center from that point on. The Mount Hope Methodist Church utilizes this building as a sports complex for approximately twenty-five percent of the year.  Preservation efforts at the facility are ongoing. The Mount Hope Historic Landmarks Commission anticipates revitalizing the facility back into a mixed-use facility providing area residents with an asset they have come to know and love.

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. 

Mount Hope YMCA and Community Center

During the Great Depression, the town of Mount Hope suffered more than any other town found in the heart of the coal fields. In the early 1930s, Eleanor Roosevelt toured the region and viewed firsthand how the economic disaster was affecting Appalachia. Her travels led her to appeal to her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt to begin a project which would provide adequate housing for low-income families. Three areas of West Virginia were selected as prototypes for the first income-based housing developments: Charleston, Huntington, and Mount Hope. This project was different from some of Eleanor Roosevelt’s planned community projects, such as Arthurdale. The goal of the low-income housing projects were to supplement existing infrastructure and towns, not to build a new settlement from the ground up. Mount Hope was the smallest town in the United States to receive attention from the low-income housing program, as most projects were focused on urban centers.The site selected for Stadium Terrace was a slum of the notorious Sugar Creek coal camp. The area was characterized by poor sanitation, lack of utilities, and haphazard Jenny Lind style board-and-batten homes. The slum was razed and construction on new houses began in 1939. West Virginia architect H. Rus Warne was contracted to design the Stadium Terrace Housing Development. Warne was a classically trained architect who had worked for the United States Treasury Department and maintained a successful architectural firm in Charleston. Though Warne’s work was typified by grand revival styles, the houses at Stadium Terrace are simple and utilitarian. Each home is primarily wood with four-bay facade and gabled roof. A small concrete stoop doubled as an additional storage area. Twenty-five identical homes were constructed by local company Meighborgall and Leach. Many renovations have been made over the years, most significantly, the replacement of asbestos siding with vinyl. After successful completion of the Huntington, Charleston and Mount Hope developments, as well as some developments in Texas, the low-income housing project was determined to be a success. This led the government to create the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eleanor Roosevelt returned to Mount Hope in 1960, twenty years after the completion of the development, but did not visit the houses. The Charleston, Huntington, and Texas low-income housing prototypes have all been demolished, making the Stadium Terrace Apartments the last standing pilot project apartments in the country. The homes are still rented by local owners.

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. 

Stadium Terrace Housing Development

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.

New River Company Store

The original Mount Hope post office was founded in 1872 around the area known as Warner Town. Luther Warner was the first postmaster and his daughter, Sue, helped with the mail. Many historical records credit her as being the area’s first female postmaster. By the mid-twentieth century, a new location was needed for Mount Hope’s mail services. In 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was directed to create a new building in downtown Mount Hope. United States Treasury Department Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon designed the building with practical assistance from Supervising Engineer Neal A. Melick. The Mount Hope Post Office is one of approximately two dozen federal buildings drafted by the architect and one of his last government projects. This building was intended to combine the post office operations of both nearby MacDonald and Mount Hope into a single location. The Mount Hope Post Office is a one story brick Colonial Revival building. A hipped roof converges on a small square cupola, which enhances the relatively stocky building’s illusion of possessing some height. The building is square and each side features five bays delineated by six-over-six windows. This style of window is one of the building’s most quintessential Colonial Revival features. A set of double doors under a tympanum are flanked by engaged doric columns. Carved in the tympanum is a bald eagle emblem commonly found on federal buildings. A portico extends over concrete stairs to the doors, though it is not original to the site. Other than this portico, the exterior of the site remains unchanged from its 1940s state of being. Two years after the completion of the building, Michael Lenson was commissioned to paint a mural in the lobby. Many WPA constructed post offices around the country were selected as mural recipients during the early 1940s. Lenson chose to pay homage to Mount Hope’s history and economic culture by painting a scene depicting coal mining simply titled Mining. On the left of the image, two workers prepare blasting and electrical equipment. In the center, three men shovel coal into a cart to be carried down the tracks and out of the mine; tipples and conveyors are visible outside the mine entrance in the background of the composition. On the right, three more workers actively mine coal from seams, both with a drilling machine and by hand with a pickaxe. Painted in a realist style inspired by Mexican muralists, the image neither glorifies nor vilifies the profession of mining. The figures in the piece are focused and determined but besides this, no emotional content is conveyed.Mining was quickly recognized as a particularly significant example of WPA sponsored public art. In 1962, just twenty years after the piece’s completion, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired Lenson’s study for Mining. The work has been included in a number of anthologies and surveys of WPA art over the years. Additionally, the preparatory study for Mining was included in a 2019-2020 exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City. The exhibition was titled “La Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945.” Beyond his importance to WPA art as a creator, Lenson was also an administrator. The artist emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1911 at the age of eight. He studied art at the National Academy of Design and was awarded the coveted Chaloner Paris Prize to study in Europe. Upon returning to the United States, Lenson was appointed director of WPA mural projects in New Jersey. He has been dubbed “New Jersey’s most important muralist” and “New Jersey’s most distinguished art critic.”[1] Mining remains on view in the Mount Hope Post Office lobby.

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.


Mount Hope Post Office & WPA Mural

Samuel Dixon was born in England in 1956 and emigrated to the United States at the age of twenty-one. He began working in his uncle’s mines in West Virginia and was soon appointed as supervisor, foreman, and bookkeeper. Dixon’s talents were evidently recognized by other companies as well, as he became president and general manager of the MacDonald Colliery Company in 1893 (MacDonald was a mining camp immediately adjacent to Mount Hope). Dixon slowly amassed enough money to purchase his own mine in 1899. Over the next several years he purchased well over ten thousand acres of land and mines. These were consolidated into the New River Company in 1906 with Dixon at the helm. The entrepreneur’s management style was one of the greatest factor’s in his success. While most mine management focused on ways to extract as much profit as quickly as possible, often at the expense of miners, Dixon was more focused on long-term sustainability and investment. His mines were marked by modern equipment, regular safety checks, and sanitary living conditions for workers. Dixon also kept meticulous records and held upper management fully responsible for safety failures.Dixon served as president and general manager of the New River Company from its founding in 1906 until 1913. During this time, Dixon was a major driving force in the growth of the city of Mount Hope. Mount Hope had long been a tiny town, overshadowed by nearby camps associated with the coal industry. Dixon invested heavily in Mount Hope. When the 1910 fire leveled most of the city, Dixon helped personally fund reconstruction, including advocating for a YMCA. A progenitor for the Mountainair hotel was also supported by the New River Company in 1911. Finally, Dixon had been a founding member of the Mount Hope Masonic Lodge. Though a meeting hall for the chapter was not finished until 1925, Dixon was a major contributor to this project as well.Despite Dixon’s adept handling of the New River Company, a revolt by investors in 1913 led to his removal from the company. Dixon leased a nearby mine and continued his involvement in the coal industry on a much smaller scale until his death in 1934. Meanwhile, Robert H. Gross was brought in to handle the New River Company affairs. As Mount Hope was still booming in the wake of the 1910 reconstruction, Gross opted to place the New River Company offices in Mount Hope. Previously, management functions had been spread throughout the company’s many small mining towns. Moving management to a centralized location helped coordinate the company and ensure that all aspects were operating in tandem. Mount Hope also offered the advantage of surfaced roads. In 1917, Gross authorized the construction of a new office building.Construction on the New River Company General Offices moved extremely quickly. An architectural plan was finalized by May of 1917 and construction commenced immediately. The brick building is two stories, rectangular, and in a commercial style. A small courtyard opens up to the west facade. The front of the building exhibits five bays, each with three windows. Brick pilasters provide a highly textured aspect to the facade. A double door and transom are emblazoned with company logos. The flat roof is edged with an extremely shallow decorative cornice resembling a bond courser. On the interior, ornate light fixtures, hand-crafted woodwork, and hardwood floors define the space. The floorplan is divided into a variety of office sizes and meeting spaces with a centrally located grand staircase allowing access to the upper floor. A 945 square foot vault occupies much of the back of the first floor. Both the interior and exterior of the building are effectively unaltered from their original form.In 1921, the New River Company operated ten mines, employed three to four thousand workers, and owned almost fifty thousand acres of land. With production around two and a half million tons of coal per year, the New River Company was one of the only major West VIrginia coal producing companies to be headquartered near their holdings. The company continued Dixon’s involvement in the Mount Hope community for many years. Frequent mine safety competitions were held in Mount Hope, the company sponsored a yearly lawn and garden competition, and in 1943, the company donated eight million tons of food locally and nationally. Unfortunately, as the coal industry subsided following World War II, so too did the New River Company. By the 1980s, it was forced to close. The departure of the coal industry from Mount Hope also led to the departure of many other businesses. All human trace of the New River Company has vanished from Mount Hope, but the New River Company General Office building continues to be rented as offices for local businesses.

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. 

New River Company General Offices

The Mountainair Hotel has a long history in the town of Mount Hope that predates the building itself. The land on which the Mountainair Hotel currently stands was once known as the Blake Inn. Built sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s, this hotel housed weary travelers. Dubbed the Blake Inn for its owner, William Blake, this establishment was agathering place for early financiers and travelers who passed along the waters of Loup Creek in thier quests in pioneer days.It was here that contracts for building a great part of the Giles, Fayette, and Kanawha Turnpike were signed, and many notables in national politics were entertained. At the Blake Inn, a committee met to name Fayette County, honoring the French patriot and general by doing so. However, the Town of Mount Hope experienced tragedy in the Spring of 1910, when a great fire ripped through town and destroyed everything along its path. Over 1,000 citizens were displaced, and a total value of $500,000 in property damage occurred in one night.While the Blake Inn was a personal loss for the Blake family, the land on which the Inn once stood was valuable for those looking to invest in this promising location. The Glen Jean Insurance Company acquired part of the land in order to build a three-story building in which they had planned to house their administrative operations. It was later purchased by Mayor Pat Garrett as his primary residence. A group of local businessmen, known as the Warner Company, purchased the adjacent tract of land in MacDonald and formed a company with the intent to create a new hotel. By the end of June in 1910, this group had purchased the land and erected the footers on the remains of the previous foundation, building what would become known as Hotel Mount Hope.By the end of 1911, the hostelry would open its doors to weary industrialists who would arrive at the bustling berg on business. At the beginning of 1910, the newly laid Kanawha, Glen Jean &amp; Eastern Railroad brought coal barons to the Cherry Creek Depot to discuss the coal market at the White Oak Coal Company. Hotel Mount Hope was a staple of the Mount Hope community, so much so that the town of Mount Hope would go on to annex the largest region of MacDonald, Warner Town, in 1915. As early as August of 1926, plans began to come together as the businessmen in town invested $60,000 towards an $85,000 revamp of the New River Hotel. Their investment provided the capital for improvements on what is now known as the Mountainair hotel. In July of 1929, the Mountainair was nearing completion. Built as a convention center for the area, the Colonial style Mountainair Hotel, was capable of seating 250 guests in the banquet hall and was designed with 50 rooms, each with a private bathroom and telephone. Across the entire front of the building on the second floor was the Sun Room. There was an amply sized ballroom known as the "Golden Room" used as a banquet hall. Installed on the first floor was a coffee shop with a large fireplace constructed in the lobby. In 1930 the hotel was purchased by W.C. Griffith, operator of the Beckley Hotel. He commissioned a series of renovations that were completed by the end of the year. Advertisements for the new hotel began to appear in the Beckley Post Herald in February of 1931.The Mount Hope Chamber of Commerce discussed the hotel, taking out full-page inserts to invite visitors from the Beckley area to attend a grand opening and ceremony. Boasting about the installation of new carpet in each of the rooms, the uncrating of furniture, and new curtains and draperies giving the hotel a homelike-air, the hotel was already promoting its prominence in the coalfields of Southern West Virginia. On Thursday February 19, 1931, the Mountainair Hotel officially opened its doors and became the “Home of Hospitality” and “Business Center of the Great New River Smokeless Coal Field.” A nine-page section of the Charleston Gazette promoted the town of Mount Hope and the hotel in great detail, showcasing the many qualities and conveniences Mount Hope held for businessmen and coal families alike. With its location on a main transportation route at the time, North/South State Route 211, the hotel found itself poised to become a premier stop in the region. The Mountainair went on to house travelers from many different backgrounds. It was the gathering place for many civic organizations and became the primary place in Mount Hope for entertainment every weekend, such as live music and dancing. Laughter could be heard coming from the windows of the Gold Room, grand parties were held, and libations flowed freely in the great halls found in the hotel. The establishment continued to operate until the 1960s. After many decades of vacancy, Joyce and Harvey Cottle have begun renovating the building and returning it to use. The first floor is home to a coffee shop, salon, and community space. The second floor will become a ballroom and possibly office space. The third floor is currently used as a private living space.

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.

Mountainair Hotel

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.

Mount Hope Municipal Stadium

Established in 1917, DuBois High School was an 8 room school and had only one microscope for all of its students. Though the resources such as textbooks and supplies were slim and not up to date, the teachers and faculty ensured an excellent education for the students who were enrolled. <blockquote> “A few years ago while sitting on my sister-in-law, George Ann’s porch, listening to “Red”, [sic] Dennis, Clarence, the Wheeler brothers, “Jack-a-Lee”, [sic] Charlie, the Bass brothers, ant others, I heard this tale about my beloved DuBois High School’s destruction. The Black parents in the community and the school’s faculty had repeatedly tried to get Fayette County Board of Education to upgrade the inadequate facility. When this did not happen, the parents decided to take matters into their own hands. I will not reveal the home they met in to formulate a plan to obtain a new school, but they did have a meeting. They decided the only way to get a new school was to destroy the old one. They would carry out the plan when school was not in session, so there would be no chance of anyone being in the building; because they would dynamite it!”[1]</blockquote> Kathleen Scott lived just below and adjacent to the first location of DuBois High School, and was a classmate of Jean Evansmore. The fire that destroyed DuBois High School was written off as a gas pipeline leak which caused an explosion. However, members of the community knew that to be incorrect. If the school was destroyed by a gas pipeline leak, would it not affect the surrounding houses? No other buildings or houses were harmed that night other than DuBois High School. After the devastating fire on June 23, 1950, Dubois High School had a temporary campus for four years (1950-1954). The classes took place in local churches and rooms in local businesses (First Baptist Church, First Union Baptist Church, and American Hardware &amp; Lumber Co.). DuBois High did not let this slow down their academic progress. There were still many accomplishments made by the faculty and students during these years when a DuBois High School location did not even exist. If the plan Kathleen Scott speaks of is true, then the parents and faculty got their wish in due time. Plans for the new facility created by the Fayette County Board of Education began shortly after the fire.After four long years of a temporary campus, the new DuBois High School opened for the 1954-1955 school year. The school was completed in 1954 and was the most advanced high school in the state at the time, AND it was an African American school. However, the segregation of the new and improved DuBois High School was short lived. The board of education in Fayette County decided to integrate DuBois High School because it was a new and up to date facility by closing the white high school and bringing those students into the African American high school. The name was changed from DuBois High School to Mt. Hope High School. Evansmore claims this is because power shifted to the white members of the community after integration, and they did not like their children attending a school named after a prestigious African American man. Evansmore and other African American students recall the quality of their education declining significantly after the integration of DuBois High School. Evansmore said teachers were excellent at DuBois because they actually appreciated their opportunity to be educated and to provide education to others. Ancella Bickley proves this to be true by providing direct quotes from teachers in early African American schools in Fayette County. <blockquote>“I was brought up with the idea that I would go to college and become a teacher. My father had a number of relative who were teachers. My mother’s side of the family were farmers who believed in ‘owning their own land’. My parents, due to their parents being farmers who put having a good crop at the head of their list, often told me how they were required to stay out of school to help with the farming. They instilled in me the idea, ‘You are going to college to improve yourself so you won’t have to work as hard as we do.” – Mrs. Meadows --- two room school in Summerlee grades 1-8.2</blockquote><blockquote> “…the Black community – parents, relatives, bachelors and spinsters – came to see what ‘their children’ were doing. At Christmas, parents and non-parents went to the company store and bought gifts for the teachers.” – Mrs. Meadows on the school becoming the center of the community.[2]</blockquote>DuBois High School and many of its graduates experience great success during their lifetime. A 1947 graduate, Major General Charles "Jackie" Calvin Rogers became the highest ranking African American Lieutenant Colonel to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. Three former graduates from the class of 1953 went on to earn doctorate degrees. Even though they did not have a school at the time and were scattered throughout the community, DuBois High School won the Commerce Contest of 1954. The schools football team won state championships in 1937, 1938, 1939 and again in 1942.

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.

DuBois High School (1917-1950)

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court unanimously declared that segregated public school facilities violated the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Despite a 1955 Supreme Court declaration that required school boards to integrate “with all deliberate speed,” integration proceeded slowly in states like West Virginia while many other southern states met attempts to comply with the law with violent resistance. DuBois High School was an African American high school in Fayette County prior to integration. The desegregation of DuBois High School was unlike any other in the state of West Virginia because it was decided that the white high school would close and white students would be integrated into the recently-constructed African American high school. Prior to the completion of this building in 1954, Mount Hope's DuBois High School was a modest eight-room schoolhouse that lacked many of the facilities enjoyed by white teachers and students. For example, the school had only one microscope and did not have a cafeteria. Despite these challenges, DuBois High School enjoyed some advantages owing to the sense of community and faculty with advanced degrees. The school continued its tradition of academic success, even during the years between 1950, when a fire destroyed the school, and 1954, when this school opened. In that interim, classes were held in a variety of churches, storefronts, and even personal homes. Scholars that have written about desegregation in West Virginia have largely agreed that integration proceeded more smoothly in the Mountain State than most Southern states, especially after court decisions and legislation was enforced. It is important to note that most scholarly works written about integration in West Virginia are written by white men with the exception of experts like Dr. Ancella Bickley.  DuBois High School in Mt. Hope remains one of the most intriguing stories of racial integration in the state of West Virginia. The story of DuBois has been preserved largely through the efforts of Jean Evansmore, a former DuBois student and the curator of the DuBois on Main museum. “White people are surprised at information today that Black people have known for years when it comes to the African American history in this county. That’s because the whites wrote our history for us, and disregarded our attempts at preserving our story here.”[1]Evansmore attended two years of segregated DuBois High School and two years of integrated Mt. Hope High School. The idea for the DuBois on Main Museum was created during a late 90’s reunion for all classes of DuBois High School. Since then, a collection of newspapers, articles, pictures, and other unique memorabilia has been donated and is now displayed in this museum for the preservation of DuBois High School history as well as African American history in Fayette County.After Mount Hope High School graduated its last class in 2011, local students were transferred to nearby Oak Hill High School. The former school now serves as a community center and the history of the school is commemorated by a historical marker and exhibits at the DuBois on Main Museum.

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.

Mount Hope, WV

Bon-Bon's Confectionery and Hardware

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources