Published: July 13, 2020 |

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A piece of a Tazewell County town’s history will open to the public once again when the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine starts welcoming visitors this Saturday.

The mine underwent major improvements after receiving two grants from the Abandoned Mine Land Pilot Program administered by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). The improvements forced the site to close for two seasons.

“We are so excited to once again welcome visitors to Pocahontas’s Exhibition Mine,” said Mayor Benjamin Gibson. “Improvements made will make the experience for visitors so much more and I believe this will directly result in more people coming to visit this unique tourist site.”

The town received $1.5 million in 2018 for safety improvements inside the mine and to turn the bathhouse and community room into restaurant space. In 2019, $379,178 was awarded from the pilot program for more changes at the Exhibition Mine. Soon, visitors will be able to ride through the mine and the town as they did when the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine first opened. Industrial restaurant equipment will also be purchased so those enjoying the historic site can eat on-site, according to Tarah Kesterson, public relations manager for the Virginia DMME.

“The mine is open, the museum really looks great, and they’ve done great work with the pilot program,” she said Thursday, adding that paving the parking lot and doing upgrades such as renovating the restrooms were among the improvements.

Phase I of the improvements included stabilizing the mine, then building a 2,200 square-foot restaurant and doing cosmetic upgrades in the mine’s museum, Gibson said. The plan is currently in Phase II, which includes installing the restaurant’s equipment.

Gibson said the future restaurant’s name, the 9’ 13’, reflects the height of the mine’s coal seam. The restaurant’s opening date has not been set yet, but the hope is to open “in a couple of months.” This new business will have an industrial theme featuring the mining industry and its history.

Visitors will be able to walk through the exhibition mine, but there are plans for offering motorized tours through the town and the mine, Gibson stated. The town is waiting for three golf carts, each able to carry eight people, to be delivered.

“Eventually what will happen is that you’ll be able to take a guided tour through Pocahontas and see the historic buildings and churches, then ride through the exhibition mine on a guided tour,” he said.

Offering guided tours and a restaurant will encourage visitors to stay in Pocahontas for two or three hours rather than tour the exhibition mine and leave immediately after the tour’s done, Gibson said.

A grand opening will be held later this year, Kesterson stated.

The mine is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of 12 or more should call 276-945-9522 or send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to schedule a tour of the Exhibition Mine and to visit the walking trail.

The Pocahontas mine was the first in Southwest Virginia. Coal mined there fueled ships of the U.S. Navy through World War I and World War II. It employed hundreds of coal miners until its closure in 1958.

The Abandoned Mine Land Pilot Funding Program is designed to boost the economy and improve the communities of Southwest Virginia coalfields while enhancing the environment, Kesterson said.

Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph

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