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Ashland in McDowell County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
 

The Company Store

Ashland

— National Coal Heritage Trail —

 
 
The Company Store Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 24, 2021
1. The Company Store Marker
Inscription.
Ashland is located along the North Fork of Elkhorn Creek, one of the most heavily developed coal regions in the Pocahontas field. At its height, the North Fork valley held an estimated ten thousand people, some of whom worked for the Ashland Coal & Coke Company.

The tipple of the company mine was demolished in the 1980s and all that remains, from its nearly one hundred years of operation, is the company store and a few company houses. A Bluefield Daily Telegraph article, dated December 21, 1904 described the original company store, the Ashland Commissary, as a “fine structure.” The three-story building (including basement) was heated by steam throughout, and featured marble tops on the counters and a large cold storage room that held over a carload of ice and an “enormous supply” of perishable goods. The cost of the entire structure was between twelve and thirteen thousand dollars.

Nearly five hundred company towns were built between 1890 and 1930 in the southern West Virginia coalfield, with about one hundred in the Pocahontas field alone. Due to isolation from commercial centers, coal companies had to supply all of the goods and services that their employees required. The company store was essential.

The store was generally in a central location within the company town, commonly located in a flat area along the railroad tracks, accessible from both the mine and homes. The store’s stock ranged from groceries and dry goods to furniture, cook stoves, clothing and mining supplies, including shovels, picks, powder, fuses, caps, calcium carbide (for lighting inside the mine), and coveralls. Trying to cover all needs, cradles were sold as well as coffins.

The company store was the business center of the community. Company offices were often located within the building, with valuable records, cash, and scrip housed in a massive vault. Acting as a community bank miners received their bi-monthly pay or an advance of scrip at its payroll window on the first floor. Many company stores had clubhouses or boarding rooms upstairs to serve as hostelries for visiting company officials or dignitaries. Often, the store was the community’s hospital or clinic, since the office of the company doctor was frequently located in the building. In many communities, communications passed
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through the company store, since it was usually the site of the post office.

The public life in the community centered around the store. Women often shopped in the morning and the men turned up after work. Children came and went according to their own schedules. During times with no work at the mine, townspeople of all ages might be found at the store. The company store, with its broad porch, was custom-made for awaiting the mail train or for holiday celebrations.

The company store, along with the company town, declined in importance during the 1930s as hard roads and automobiles allowed miners to travel to and shop in the incorporated towns. The company store lasted longer in southern West Virginia than elsewhere, with some stores staying open for business through the 1950s and 1960s.

(sidebar)
An edited version of an article that ran in the Bluefield newspaper describing the opening of the new company store.
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Wednesday Morning, December 21, 1904

The Ashland Coal and Coke Company, located at Ashland, can be justly proud of their new commissary, which is undoubtedly a fine structure, fitted with all the modern appliances that make such a place convenient and up to date. From the basement to the roof every inch of space is utilized to advantage, and in a manner that puts everything in just the place it should be, making it “a pleasant task for the employees of the company engaged in the commissary.”

The store is a model, every fixture of the highest grade and admirably adapted to its usages. Marble tops are on the counters and the bins for cereals and other groceries are so arranged as to form a fine display of the various goods handled through glass fronts. Among the departments deserving special mention is the cold storage room. This is a commodious affair, having a capacity of over a carload of ice and so arranged as to give space for an enormous supply of perishable goods.

 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceNatural Resources. A significant historical date for this entry is December 21, 1904.
 
Location. 37° 24.528′ N, 81° 21.232′ W. Marker is in Ashland, West Virginia, in McDowell County. Marker is on Cherokee Road (County Route 17) 5.8 miles east of Coal Heritage
The Company Store Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 24, 2021
2. The Company Store Marker
Road in Northfork (U.S. 52), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5633 Cherokee Rd, Northfork WV 24868, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Ashland Coal and Coke (here, next to this marker); No Work Tomorrow (here, next to this marker); Young Miners (here, next to this marker); Miners’ Pay (a few steps from this marker); Elizabeth Simpson Drewry (approx. 4.6 miles away); Bramwell (approx. 6.1 miles away); Mill Creek Coal & Coke Co. (approx. 6.1 miles away); The Coal Barons (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ashland.
 
More about this marker. This interpretive panel has five photographs on its face with the following captions, counterclockwise from top left:
  1. Pictured is the original company store as it appeared in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It also served as a social hall and inn. The building was destroyed by fire in 1943. The store was then moved to the present day location
  2. The company store was open to all miners and their families. Not only did these stores offer general grocery items, they also stocked a variety of other goods including clothing, toys, tools, shoes, fabric, ice cream, and fresh fruit.
  3. A typical company pay window. Account clerks kept track of the amount of scrip and pay issued to each miner.
  4. A nurse is registering patients at the company clinic.
  5. Company doctor, Emanuel Torregrosa, posing beside his car (1917). Often, the doctor’s office would be located in the same building as the company store.
 
Ashland Company Store image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 24, 2021
3. Ashland Company Store
Today the public area of the store is a tidy, well-stocked convenience store and a cafe. ATV dirt trails intersect here and the store is a popular stop for riders to get a cold or hot drink and a bite to eat after a bathroom stop.
National Coal Heritage Area Trail Interpretive Stop, Ashland WV image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 24, 2021
4. National Coal Heritage Area Trail Interpretive Stop, Ashland WV
The sign all the way to the left shown in profile is not a historical marker. It is the sign for the Interpretive stop. The small sign on a single post all the way on the right has a map of the Coal Heritage Trail and lists points of interest along the trail. This historical marker is the upright panel in the center.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 213 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 6, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

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Mar. 28, 2024