Director

Picture taken after the fire of 1910. One of the only structures remaining after the great fire.

Mt.Hope Telephone Switchboard office was located on the second floor of the First National Bank building. As seen in image, Susan Spade in the white blouse and Dixie Painter is in the Black top,

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

Contributor

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.

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

Coal Heritage Park educates visitors on the history of Mt. Hope. The area that is now Mt. Hope, WV was sparsely populated until the discovery of a coal seam by settlers at Turkey Knob and another at Glen Jean. Coal companies and their employees flooded the town and by 1894, there were several companies in Mt. Hope. The industry’s growth in the area was aided by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway line that was built through the town in 1873. Mt. Hope steadily gained population and was incorporated in 1895. The town was unique as it was not a company owned mining town, as many others in the region were. Because of this independence, Mt. Hope had a much wider variety of businesses and was not limited to a single company owned store. Like many other coal towns, the population and commercial growth of the city has been in decline as the coal industry has become less profitable.
The park was created in 1930, just nine years after Mt. Hope was granted a city charter by the West Virginia Legislature. The iconic drinking fountain in the park rests on a concrete foundation with semi-circular arches and keystones of native ashlar stone. Landscaping includes various trees and a planting bed surrounding a large piece of coal mounted on a concrete base. Across the street, an exposed seam of coal is framed by a cut stone arch with the words "Famous New River Smokeless Coal" inscribed above.  Both assets are contributing structures in the Mount Hope Historic District. The city of Mt. Hope lies within the National Coal Heritage Area, which spans 13 counties in southern West Virginia. The National Park Service aims to protect the history of coal in the region and educate visitors on the region's history.

Coal Heritage Park

This two-story vernacular commercial building was built in 1920. It was originally operated as the Patteson Garage Co., which was owned by L.C. Patteson. Patteson was the father of former West Virginia Governor Okey Patteson. Governor Patteson worked at the garage as a young man. The business later closed and the building sat idle during Mount Hope’s economic downturn from the departure of the coal industry. The site is now owned by the Coal Heritage Authority; this building will be the location of their office and a welcome center for the Mount Hope rails-to-trails system. The building is also currently being restored for use by the Coal Heritage Discovery Center, a visitor center featuring coal heritage interpretive exhibits.  

Coal Heritage Discovery Center

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

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 

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

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

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 DuBois on Main Museum preserves and interprets the history of DuBois High School in Mount Hope, West Virginia. One of two all Black high schools in Fayette County prior to integration, DuBois High School was erected in 1917. The building had eight classrooms, and only one microscope to share among the entire student body. After a devastating fire on June 23, 1950, Dubois High School was destroyed. Plans for a new facility created by the Fayette County Board of Education began shortly after the fire. During the interim, students attended classes in local churches and rooms in local businesses. These locations included First Baptist Church, First Union Baptist Church, and American Hardware &amp; Lumber Co. 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. 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 due to the quality of the facility. The local white high school was closed, the students integrated into DuBois. The name was changed from DuBois High School to Mt. Hope High School. The idea for this museum started at a reunion held in the late 1990s for DuBois High School alumni. A substantial collection of newspapers, articles, photographs, and other memorabilia have been donated to the museum, and are on display. The owner, Jean Evansmore, also entertains visitors with stories of the former DuBois High School.

The DuBois on Main Museum commemorates one of two African American high schools prior to integration in Fayette County, WV. The story of DuBois High School’s journey from segregation to integration is unlike any other, yet the school’s history has been dispersed, thrown away, or forgotten. Thanks to Jean Evansmore, the museum's founder and owner, the history of DuBois High School is slowly being pieced back together, so that it can be preserved for future generations.

Mount Hope Historic Walking Tour

Old Stone Bank/First National Bank

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources