Houston Company Store

Houston Company Store. . , In the early 1920s, David Houston, a prominent coal baron and owner of the Houston Coal and Coke Company, built the Houston Company Store. Unlike other company stores, the Houston Company Store was built on the edge of Carswell Hollow along Route 52 rather than in the center of town. The building housed a post office, payroll office, and a retail store that served the Houston Coal Company’s employees and their families. It also served as a gathering place for community members to socialize. , Ownership of the Houston Company Store changed over the years. Houston sold the company store and other assets to the Koppers Coal Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who operated the store between 1930 and 1960. Since then the building has housed other businesses including a dairy, construction company, and offices for McDowell County Emergency Services. The Houston Company Store also sat vacant for a number of years. , Efforts to restore the Houston Company Store began in 2005. Money from federal and state grants contributed to restoring the building’s exterior. Contractors replaced the windows and doors, cleaned and repaired the brick walls, built a new concrete ramp, and installed handrails and the Koppers sign above the front door. These updates were completed in the spring of 2016.