Town of Pocahontas Commercial District
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Manville Possum
N 37° 18.269 W 081° 20.395
17S E 469876 N 4128704
A Virginia Historical Marker placed by the Department of Historic Resources in 2012.
Waymark Code: WMTCWA
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/03/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member jhuoni
Views: 2

Marker text:


The Southwest Virginia Improvement Company first developed a town at Pocahontas in 1881-82 to house its workers and support its mining efforts. The commercial district lay along Centre and St. Clair Streets. The 1884 Company Store, the first and largest of its kind in the region, was its centerpiece. To foster the growth of the town, the company sold lots to competing entrepreneurs, many of whom were Jewish immigrants, who established drugstores, saloons, and general stores. Many buildings bore elaborate iron-front facades, attesting to the importance of the coal-mining industry. Most development stopped by the 1920s, as the coal-mining boom that had driven growth slipped into a slow decline.

Department of Historic Resources, 2012.
Marker Number: XP 8

Marker Title: Town of Pocahontas Commercial District

Marker Location: Corner of E Water and Central Street

County or Independent City: Pocahontas

Web Site: [Web Link]

Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Virginia Historical Markers
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log  
littleblkdog visited Town of Pocahontas Commercial District 09/18/2021 littleblkdog visited it
Manville Possum visited Town of Pocahontas Commercial District 12/30/2019 Manville Possum visited it

View all visits/logs