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Coal Towns/Roda, Virginia
Following the success of operations at Stonega, SC&C opened a new mine in 1903. Only the second town built by the company, Roda quickly grew with steadily increasing coal production. After the opening of the first mine, three others quickly followed, and by 1911, all four were open and producing concurrently. By the 1930s, the Roda mines processed and shipped a half million tons of coal each year.
The Roda colliery was typical in that it had employee houses, a commissary system, school, and church, but the valley's geography automatically provided formal segregation of the various ethnicities. For the Appalachian coalfields, the early twentieth century saw an impressive mixture of nationalities move to the region. Roda, like nearby Stonega, had large populations of native whites, Hungarians, Poles, and Italians.
The initial settlement became known as Old Roda and had a commissary. Subsequent settlement filled the small valleys and hollows and created other neighborhoods. During the first years of operation, immigrants, mostly Hungarians, and poor whites lived in the upper sections of town named Hunk Town, Hunk Hollow, and Sawmill Hollow. Around Old Roda in the lower section, other neighborhoods were built as the town grew. As the old section had been hastily thrown up and was primitive, the company built better dwellings and a church in places later known as Roda Hill and Happy Hollow. Managers and professionals lived in their own neighborhood, the lordly named Quality Row.
By 1918, Roda had grown large enough and stretched far enough to require a second store. For the next thirty-five years, it was a two store town. It is not known if blacks lived in the town during these early years, but by the 1940s, the oldest parts of town were primarily inhabited by blacks who mainly worked the coke ovens.
Visitors to Roda now see several dozen homes scattered along both sides of the road and Mudlick Creek. The modern focal point in Happy Hollow, where the church stands as a testament to local humanitarian Toddy Collins.
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This page last updated: May 31, 2005
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