Coal Mining Pictures in and around McComas, WV

The history of McComas, WV is closely intertwined with all the areas I have pictures of below. The company towns of Crumpler and Lamar reside just over the mountaintop from McComas in opposite directions. They were owned and operated by the same individuals who ran the McComas operations. Many of the men lived at McComas but may have worked at one of these other two locations. To get to McComas from the Bluefield area one would travel through Montcalm. Matoaka evolved after the turn of the century and became a thriving little town for shopping and recreation for many of the local coal miners and their families. Today its a trip by car but around the turn of the century it may have been by a Norfolk & Western Train or later on a Trailways bus (how they maneuvered those tiny twisted roads between McComas and Matoaka is still a mystery). Check the current day pictures of McComas at the bottom of this page. Click your browser's Back key to return to this page after viewing the photo.
Pictures
American Coal Company, McComas, WV General Managers House American Coal Company, McComas, WV Bluefield, WV Norfolk&Western Train Station Bluefield, WV N&W Train Shop (1944) Coal car inside mine Conner Mountain School near McComas, WV Supplied by Sybil Steel Browning of Conner Mountain, WV Inside Crane Creek Store, McComas, WV Crane Creek Tipple Crane Creek Tipple Crew 1937 Crane Creek Gas Station (H.W. Harrington) Supplied by his son Wayne Harrington United Pocahontas Coal Company, Crumpler, West Virginia Crumpler/Indian Ridge Mine Crumpler Tipple Crumpler Mine Car Lamar Colleries, near Matoaka, WV(Part of Virginia B. Coal Company) Outside Lamar Colleries Lamar Collieries Tipple Matoaka Train Station Nov 27, 1918 McComas, WV McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1937 [Photograph courtesy of Zelma Bailey(and her neice Sue Baldwin) September 2001.] * Front row (left to right): Clarice Sturgill and Virginia Sigmon * Second Row (left to right)Alma Lovern, Zelma Bailey (Sue Baldwins aunt), Ida Brugnoli, and Elizabeth Evans * Third Row (left to right)Lucille Sigmon, William Fulford, Irene Bowers, W.D. Fitzhugh (son of the local doctor), and Alvah Martin. * Back Row (left to right) Curtis Short and Arthur Weeks McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1943 [Photograph courtesy of Gordon & Jackie Curran Howard, July 2001.] If you can identify anyone in the picture email me and I'll post the names. currently identified * Maria [Curran] Howard 3rd from left front row * Edith [Ratcliffe] Sublett 2nd from right front row (identified by her daughter Judith (Sublett) Christo) McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1949 [Photograph and names of classmates courtesy of Jackie Curran Howard, June 2001.] McComas Rail Road Tracks This is a Microsoft Word Document [Photograph courtesty of Gordon Howard Jr. (son of Jackie) June 2001.] McComas PostMistress This is a Microsoft Word Document [Photograph courtesty of Gordon Howard June 2001.] McComas Gathering Can anyone identify what this McComas Gathering was for? (McComas Theatre to left [notice Tim McCoy movie playing], McComas Train Station in background, band playing in center of group) 7/11/2001 Email from Ken Bowen: "Could that McComas gathering have been when Tim McCoy appeared at the McComas Theater in person? I've heard that western stars Buck Jone and Ken Maynard also appeared there in person." McComas Company Houses 1920 McComas American Coal Co. Car Load Sale 1937 Supplied by Wayne Arrington McComas American Coal Company Lab McComas Commissary Store McComas Company Doctor William Fitzhugh McComas/Pinnacle Slate Dump Explosion (1920s) Pinnacle Store, American Coal Company Inside Pinnacle Store McComas Theatre (Outside) Supplied by Nancy O'Dell McComas Theatre (Inside) Supplied by Nancy O'Dell McComas - Thomas Coal Camp Supplied by Nancy O'Dell McComas - Thomas Coal Company Store Supplied by Nancy O'Dell McComas - Thomas Company Store Gas Pumps Supplied by Nancy O'Dell (This is Bill Spicer father of Patricia Spicer Smith webmaster of this website and the uncle of Nancy O'Dell standing at the gas pumps out front of the Thomas Coal Company Store probably late 1940s or early 1950s. Notice the railroad tracks going up Pinnacle Hollow in the background along with the Coal Company Shop buildings. The Pinnacle tram tracks were up on the embankment in the rear of the photo.) McComas - Thomas Coal Camp 1964(Cora Huffman & Mickey Spicer - our favorite ball field in the rear (the old slate dump) - the house in rear was the parsonage for the local church at one time - our favorite sledding place was that long driveway going up to the parsonage) McComas - Thomas Coal Tipple McComas Red Hollow aerial view after restoration McComas Sagamore Store McComas Sagamore Tipple Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Train(McComas daily runs) N&W Bluefield Train Yard 1944 N&W Train Station, Bluefield, WV Mr. & Mrs McMillan McComas, WV Train Depot Station Master and his wife Ole Luke who worked at the McComas, WV Train Depot Station Master W.H. Thomas - McComas Coal Baron Isaac T. Mann - McComas Coal Baron Montcalm Train Depot *ENTERTAINMENT* 1950/60s Entertainment - Skyway DriveIn Movie Theatre at Brushfork PICTURES TAKEN MAY 2001 Bank of Matoaka Main Street of Matoaka (almost all boarded up) Old Road between Matoaka & Giatto (N&W RailRoad - this is also the road to McComas via Giatto, Weyanoke, Conner Mountain, Thomas, and Pinnacle) Horseshoe Turn, Conner Mountain Catholic Church, McComas, WV Pinnacle Elementary School, 2001(house to left of the school is also in the 1920s McComas/Pinnacle Slate Dump Explosion picture above - the school and this road were built over the explosion debry. The green roadside to the left goes up to the Harman Cemetary.) WindMill Gap Store (they were advertising beans and cornbread on that marquee out front) View of McComas from WindMill Gap (Crane Creek, Sagamore, then McComas looking outward) Sagamore Store(sat to the left of the bridge/road - Sagamore Hollow to the right is now a dam) McComas High School Steps (if you can see them through the trees - 41 years after closing) McComas Methodist Church (a shell of what it used to be - to the right take the road to go up to Sagamore and Crane Creek. The Community Center sat in right hand side of the picture - beside it would have been the theatre, and Catholic Church. To the left of the picture was where the Post Office and Train Depot were.) McComas Community Center Site (Site of where Community Center once sat - wall and sidewalk still remain. The Catholic Church is to the left.) McComas Houses Today (Coke Road, Pinnacle) Electric Shop leaving Sagamore (all that remains at the Crane Creek Tipple area - the American Coal Co. Tipple sat on the left below this shop. taken May 2001) Remains of original garages (built for residents at Pinnacle) Thomas May 2001 (coming off Conner's Mt) McComas Pioneer Coal Miner

The history of McComas, WV is closely intertwined with all the areas I have pictures of below. The company towns of Crumpler and Lamar reside just over the mountaintop from McComas in opposite directions. They were owned and operated by the same individuals who ran the McComas operations. Many of the men lived at McComas but may have worked at one of these other two locations. To get to McComas from the Bluefield area one would travel through Montcalm. Matoaka evolved after the turn of the century and became a thriving little town for shopping and recreation for many of the local coal miners and their families. Today its a trip by car but around the turn of the century it may have been by a Norfolk & Western Train or later on a Trailways bus (how they maneuvered those tiny twisted roads between McComas and Matoaka is still a mystery).

Check the current day pictures of McComas at the bottom of this page.
Click your browser's Back key to return to this page after viewing the photo.

Pictures

American Coal Company, McComas, WV

General Managers House American Coal Company, McComas, WV
Bluefield, WV Norfolk&Western Train Station
Bluefield, WV N&W Train Shop (1944)
Coal car inside mine
Conner Mountain School near McComas, WV
Supplied by Sybil Steel Browning of Conner Mountain, WV
Inside Crane Creek Store, McComas, WV
Crane Creek Tipple
Crane Creek Tipple Crew 1937
Crane Creek Gas Station (H.W. Harrington)
Supplied by his son Wayne Harrington
United Pocahontas Coal Company, Crumpler, West Virginia
Crumpler/Indian Ridge Mine
Crumpler Tipple
Crumpler Mine Car
Lamar Colleries, near Matoaka, WV(Part of Virginia B. Coal Company)
Outside Lamar Colleries
Lamar Collieries Tipple
Matoaka Train Station Nov 27, 1918

McComas, WV
McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1937 [Photograph courtesy of Zelma Bailey(and her neice Sue Baldwin) September 2001.]
* Front row (left to right): Clarice Sturgill and Virginia Sigmon
* Second Row (left to right)Alma Lovern, Zelma Bailey (Sue Baldwins aunt), Ida Brugnoli, and Elizabeth Evans
* Third Row (left to right)Lucille Sigmon, William Fulford, Irene Bowers, W.D. Fitzhugh (son of the local doctor), and Alvah Martin.
* Back Row (left to right) Curtis Short and Arthur Weeks

McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1943 [Photograph courtesy of Gordon & Jackie Curran Howard, July 2001.] If you can identify anyone in the picture email me and I'll post the names.
currently identified
* Maria [Curran] Howard 3rd from left front row
* Edith [Ratcliffe] Sublett 2nd from right front row (identified by her daughter Judith (Sublett) Christo)
McComas High School (MHS) Class of 1949 [Photograph and names of classmates courtesy of Jackie Curran Howard, June 2001.]
McComas Rail Road Tracks This is a Microsoft Word Document [Photograph courtesty of Gordon Howard Jr. (son of Jackie) June 2001.]
McComas PostMistress This is a Microsoft Word Document [Photograph courtesty of Gordon Howard June 2001.]
McComas Gathering Can anyone identify what this McComas Gathering was for? (McComas Theatre to left [notice Tim McCoy movie playing], McComas Train Station in background, band playing in center of group)
7/11/2001 Email from Ken Bowen: "Could that McComas gathering have been when Tim McCoy appeared at the McComas Theater in person? I've heard that western stars Buck Jone and Ken Maynard also appeared there in person."
McComas Company Houses 1920
McComas American Coal Co. Car Load Sale 1937
Supplied by Wayne Arrington
McComas American Coal Company Lab
McComas Commissary Store
McComas Company Doctor William Fitzhugh
McComas/Pinnacle Slate Dump Explosion (1920s)
Pinnacle Store, American Coal Company
Inside Pinnacle Store
McComas Theatre (Outside)
Supplied by Nancy O'Dell
McComas Theatre (Inside)
Supplied by Nancy O'Dell
McComas - Thomas Coal Camp
Supplied by Nancy O'Dell
McComas - Thomas Coal Company Store
Supplied by Nancy O'Dell
McComas - Thomas Company Store Gas Pumps
Supplied by Nancy O'Dell (This is Bill Spicer father of Patricia Spicer Smith webmaster of this website and the uncle of Nancy O'Dell standing at the gas pumps out front of the Thomas Coal Company Store probably late 1940s or early 1950s. Notice the railroad tracks going up Pinnacle Hollow in the background along with the Coal Company Shop buildings. The Pinnacle tram tracks were up on the embankment in the rear of the photo.)
McComas - Thomas Coal Camp 1964(Cora Huffman & Mickey Spicer - our favorite ball field in the rear (the old slate dump) - the house in rear was the parsonage for the local church at one time - our favorite sledding place was that long driveway going up to the parsonage)
McComas - Thomas Coal Tipple
McComas Red Hollow aerial view after restoration
McComas Sagamore Store
McComas Sagamore Tipple

Norfolk & Western Railroad
Norfolk & Western Train(McComas daily runs)
N&W Bluefield Train Yard 1944
N&W Train Station, Bluefield, WV

Mr. & Mrs McMillan McComas, WV Train Depot Station Master and his wife

Ole Luke who worked at the McComas, WV Train Depot Station Master

W.H. Thomas - McComas Coal Baron
Isaac T. Mann - McComas Coal Baron
Montcalm Train Depot

ENTERTAINMENT
1950/60s Entertainment - Skyway DriveIn Movie Theatre at Brushfork

PICTURES TAKEN MAY 2001
Bank of Matoaka
Main Street of Matoaka (almost all boarded up)
Old Road between Matoaka & Giatto (N&W RailRoad - this is also the road to McComas via Giatto, Weyanoke, Conner Mountain, Thomas, and Pinnacle)
Horseshoe Turn, Conner Mountain
Catholic Church, McComas, WV
Pinnacle Elementary School, 2001(house to left of the school is also in the 1920s McComas/Pinnacle Slate Dump Explosion picture above - the school and this road were built over the explosion debry. The green roadside to the left goes up to the Harman Cemetary.)
WindMill Gap Store (they were advertising beans and cornbread on that marquee out front)
View of McComas from WindMill Gap (Crane Creek, Sagamore, then McComas looking outward)
Sagamore Store(sat to the left of the bridge/road - Sagamore Hollow to the right is now a dam)
McComas High School Steps (if you can see them through the trees - 41 years after closing)
McComas Methodist Church (a shell of what it used to be - to the right take the road to go up to Sagamore and Crane Creek. The Community Center sat in right hand side of the picture - beside it would have been the theatre, and Catholic Church. To the left of the picture was where the Post Office and Train Depot were.)
McComas Community Center Site (Site of where Community Center once sat - wall and sidewalk still remain. The Catholic Church is to the left.)
McComas Houses Today (Coke Road, Pinnacle)
Electric Shop leaving Sagamore (all that remains at the Crane Creek Tipple area - the American Coal Co. Tipple sat on the left below this shop. taken May 2001)
Remains of original garages (built for residents at Pinnacle)
Thomas May 2001 (coming off Conner's Mt)
McComas Pioneer Coal Miner