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Coal Towns/Dunbar, Virginia
In May 1918, the colliery at Dunbar was started as a joint venture between the Virginia Iron and Coal Company and the Stonega Coke and Coal Company. The next year, with the houses, shops, and tracks built, the first coal was loaded and shipped with both VIC and SCC evenly splitting the profits and losses. By 1922, Stonega bought out VIC's interest thereby ending the partnership. The initial colliery was intended to be much larger than it eventually became. Because of the narrowness of the valley, the nearly 250 single-family houses, store, church, school, and theater that was planned were pared down to nearly 125 two-family homes along with the other public buildings. The houses at Dunbar were built ready for electricity with plastered walls and a fireplace.
For Dunbar , like many of the surrounding coal towns, its first decade was its best. After the initial building boom, the town filled and the coal seams were tapped. Almost from its inception, two mines opened working different seams of coal with a third mine opening in 1929. During that heyday, the company kept a stable workforce of about 280 men only swelling significantly in 1927 when 339 employees were counted. Although not formally divided, most residents recognized an upper and lower Dunbar . Upper Dunbar was made up of white families and contained the store, doctor's office, theater, and church, while lower Dunbar was home to the town's black residents and had a general use building that served as a lodge and church.
The Great Depression hit southwestern Virginia just as hard as the rest of the nation and world. On July 1, 1932, Dunbar was shut down and remained closed with houses vacated and no coal mined until May 1, 1936. In such cases, camp residents normally transferred to other company mines, moved on to other jobs, or moved in with family or friends until business picked up and the mines reopened.
With America 's entry into World War II, the coal business was again booming. Two of the closed mines had reopened in the late 1930s and two others opened during the war years. By the time the war ended, Dunbar served as the hub of four different mines. However, in 1946, much of the mining activity shifted to Pine Branch and by the middle 1950s, very little coal originated from Dunbar .
Today, travelers to Dunbar find only a small portion of what was once a thriving community. Only a small section of the original homes remain along with the church. Although the building is long gone, the commissary steps remain as a testament to the impressive, original building.
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This page last updated: April 5, 2005
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