Beckley in Raleigh County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Coal Camp Church
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 7, 2025
1. Coal Camp Church Marker
Fulfilling spiritual needs
Built in 1921, this Church is from the coal camp of Pemberton, WV. Coal Baron Thomas Hurst Wickham paid to build the church and gave it as a gift to the community. The center of the coal camp community, this was where people came together to worship and for community functions such as homecomings, meetings, church dinners, and Bible school in the summer.
The church's minister was an integral part of the community. He married couples, preached to them on Sunday, visited them through the week and even buried them. After Christmas services, as the congregation left the church, the minister gave each a gift of fruit and candy which came from the coal company. This is still an Appalachian Tradition to this day in some of our small country churches.
(Captions):
Bible class and Sunday school. E. E. White Coal Company, Glen White, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Mary Stevenson, Coal Towns of West Virginia, Vol. II.
From Left to right: Betty Pack, Vicki E. Jacobs, Marvin Pack, Jewel McKinney, Jackie Parker, and Johnnie Parker standing in front of the Pemberton Church in its original Location.
Photo donated by Louise Pack, former member of the Pemberton Church.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.
Location. 37° 47.058′ N, 81° 11.805′ W. Marker is in Beckley, West Virginia, in Raleigh County. It can be reached from Ewart Avenue west of Robert C. Byrd Drive (West Virginia Route 16), on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the walking path of the Beckley Exposition Coal Mine. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 513 Ewart Avenue, Beckley WV 25801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bachelors Shanty (here, next to this marker); Miner's House (a few steps from this marker); Raleigh County Coal Mines (within shouting distance of this marker); Dinky Locomotive (within shouting distance of this marker); The Phillips-Sprague Mine (within shouting distance of this marker); The Coal Camp (within shouting distance of this marker); The Slab Fork Coal Company (within shouting distance of this marker); Superintendent's House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Beckley.
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 7, 2025
2. Coal Camp Church Marker
Photographed by Bradley Owen, August 7, 2025
3. Interior of the Church from the Coal Camp of Pemberton, WV
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 95 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
