Stonega, Virginia

Stonega, Virginia
Unincorporated community
Stonega, Virginia
Stonega, Virginia
Coordinates: 36°57′11″N 82°47′29″W / 36.95306°N 82.79139°W / 36.95306; -82.79139Coordinates: 36°57′11″N 82°47′29″W / 36.95306°N 82.79139°W / 36.95306; -82.79139
Country United States
State Virginia
County Wise
Founded July 15, 1895
Elevation 1,818 ft (554 m)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes 24285
GNIS feature ID 1487603[1]

Stonega is an unincorporated community and coal town located in Wise County, Virginia, United States.[2] The community was founded in 1895 to provide housing and coking facilities for the Virginia Coal and Iron Company before being leased to the Stonega Coke and Coal Company in 1902.[3] The community was owned and operated as a company town until after World War II.[4] Their post office closed in 2002.[5]

History

Early Years

Stonega was founded by J.K. Taggart on 1895 as "Pioneer," a name chosen because it was the first commercial mine and coking plant in Wise County.[6] The name was changed in 1896 to reflect the town's proximity to Stone Gap, a pass through the mountains between Virginia and Kentucky. That same year, Taggart was killed during a mining accident.[7] The town was owned and maintained by the Virginia Coal and Iron Company until 1902, when the Stonega Coke and Coal Company assumed control of the operation and leased the land. There were no major strikes at Stonega or the surrounding camps until 1937.[8]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Stonega, Virginia
  2. ↑ Wolfe, Margaret Ripley (October 1979). "Aliens in Southern Appalachia, 1900-1920: The Italian Experience in Wise County, Virginia". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Virginia Historical Society. 87 (4): 456. JSTOR 4248343.
  3. ↑ Prescott, E.J. (1946). The Story of the Virginia Coal and Iron Company, 1882-1945. Big Stone Gap, VA: Virginia Coal and Iron Company. pp. 66, 95.
  4. ↑ Wolfe, Margaret Ripley (July 1, 1981). "Changing the Face of Southern Appalachia: Urban Planning in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee, 1890-1929". Journal of the American Planning Association. 47: 252–265 – via Taylor and Francis + NEJM.
  5. ↑ http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm
  6. ↑ Prescott, E.J. (1946). The Story of the Virginia Coal and Iron Company, 1882-1945. Big Stone Gap, VA: The Virginia Coal and Iron Company. p. 55.
  7. ↑ "Virginia News". Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser. May 25, 1896.
  8. ↑ "1,500 Miners in Wise County Go On Strike". Kingsport Times. April 21, 1937.


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