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Pocahontas Historic District

Heart of Appalachia, Virginia Registered Historic Place stubsHistoric districts in Tazewell County, VirginiaHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in VirginiaNRHP infobox with nocatNational Register of Historic Places in Tazewell County, Virginia
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Pocahontas Historical District
Pocahontas Historical District

Pocahontas Historic District is a national historic district located at Pocahontas in the Pocahontas coalfield, Tazewell County, Virginia. It is near Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine, a U.S. National Historic Landmark which was Mine No. 1 of the Pocahontas coalfield. The district encompasses 17 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the town of Pocahontas. Notable buildings include the City Hall (1895), the stone Episcopal Methodist Church, Catholic Church, the old brick medical dispensary, a Synagogue, the first millinery shop in the coalfields (now the Emma Yates Memorial Library) and a Masonic Hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Pocahontas Historic District (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Pocahontas Historic District
Brown Road,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 37.307777777778 ° E -81.342777777778 °
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Address

Brown Road

Brown Road
24635
Virginia, United States
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Pocahontas Historical District
Pocahontas Historical District
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Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine
Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine

Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine, also known as Pocahontas Mine No. 1, or Baby Mine, is an inactive coal mine in the Pocahontas Coalfield, in Pocahontas in western Virginia. The mine was the first in the sub-bituminous coal of the Pocahontas Coalfield, opening in 1882. In 1938 it became the first exhibition coal mine in the United States. Uniquely, it was possible to drive one's automobile through the mine, entering through the fan opening and exiting through the original entry. The practice continued until 1970, when it was discontinued due to damage to the roof of the mine from car exhaust. The site is also notable for its history of coke production on site for transportation by rail to steel mills. Pocahontas coal was especially suitable for coking, and played a significant role in the industrial development of the United States. Coke and coal were shipped by rail to Norfolk, Virginia for trans-shipment to eastern US ports and overseas. Coking on the site was eventually discontinued, and the mine spoil pile covers the area where the beehive ovens were located. Only three oven ruins remain, overgrown with trees. This mine, when active, supplied the United States Navy a majority of its coal through both world wars. Its smokeless quality allowed ships to go undetected from distances, thus giving the Navy an advantage over enemies. By the end of the second world war, coal in the "baby mine" was waning. Technology was advancing and reducing the number of miners required to do the work and allowed for the creation of the exhibition mine. In 1955 mining ceased in Pocahontas altogether. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.