Hump Mountain, WV

Little is known about Hump Mountain despite the fact that it appears to have been a relatively sizable mining operation. Three coal seams are found on the identically named mountain, and the bulk of the Hump Mountain camp was set up near the highest and largest seam.  Hump Mountain’s lofty location is facilitated by an unusually flat mountain top. This is a departure from most New River coal towns, which were typically immediately adjacent to the New River or its tributaries. A circa 1925 photo shows many rows of houses erected by the Hump Mountain Coal Company, suggesting that at least one hundred people lived in the immediate vicinity of the mine. Other workers lived in the nearby sister towns of Claypool and Humoco (sometimes spelled Humco). Coal mined at Hump Mountain was transported down the mountainside by an inclined track to Meadow Creek, which once ran parallel with a Chesapeake and Ohio railroad offshoot. Hump Mountain was one of only two mining camps in Summers County. Other than the tipple foundation, the only evidence of Hump Mountain is photographs. The complete disappearance of the town suggests that the building materials were repurposed for new construction after the coal industry waned in the mid-twentieth century.

Brown, Leona. Summers County, West Virginia - Gwinn Burials at Hump Mountain Cemetery, USGW Archives. March 1st 1999. Accessed June 16th 2021. http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/summers/cemetery/gwinn001.txt.

Grist, Richard. Hump Mountain Forest, Foxfire Realty. Accessed June 16th 2021. https://foxfirenation.com/listings/hump-mountain-forest/.

History of Summers County WV, Genealogy Trails. Accessed June 16th 2021. http://genealogytrails.com/wva/summers/history.html.

Miscellaneous Greenbrier Coalfield, Coal Camp USA. Accessed June 16th 2021. http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/green/misc/miscgren.htm.

Stahlgren, Lori et al. Historical Archaeological Survey: New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area. Lexington, KY. Kentucky Archaeological Survey, 2007.