Dorchester

A Typical Coal Camp

By Gladys J. Stallard

From The Heritage of Wise County and The City of Norton - Volume I

 

            It was typical in that the land, mining operation, houses, doctor's office, commissary, churches, and schoolhouse were all owned by a coal company. This account is from the viewpoint of a former teacher and resident. It is mainly personal, along with some historical background gleaned from many sources, some of them a bit contradictory.

            My experience with Dorchester Camp began the fall of 1932 when I went there to teach first grade. The other teachers were Christie Jones, Principal; Flora Bruce; and Grace Palmer. All of us were unmarried as that was the rule at the time, due to The Depression. I taught, married, and lived there until May, 1963, when nearly all the houses were torn down, and the area stripmined.

            Before my time, a small school house sat on a hillside near a Catholic Church. Later, a six room building was erected for a hospital but never used for that purpose, as one became available in Norton, just over the hill from camp in 1923, this building became the second school.

            The teachers all boarded at the Company Clubhouse. Mrs. Rachel Mullins, then Mrs. Betty Hurt, had charge of the care, supplies, and cooking while I was there. Pickett Hurt was company policeman. Salesmen, company officials, and guests often stayed overnight, or longer. There was a big lobby with comfortable furniture, and a Panatrope on which records were played for listening or dancing.

            The teachers were hired and paid for by the Wise County School System. However, the teachers had only to express a need to company officials, and they would help out in every way possible. The Company gave one hundred dollars toward the purchase of a piano, and helped start the extensive school library.

            Especially during the Depression, teachers saw that pupils had school supplies, clothing, food, and, often, more personal care.

            School children gave plays and skits, and sang as choirs for the community, and for various civic organizations in Norton, and the surrounding area. There were field meets among schools, with Dorchester students winning more often than not.

            At one time, the school was rated first in its category in the state of Virginia. A plaque stating this hung in a conspicuous spot in the hallway.

            "Miss Christie," as she was known, had such a genuine interest in her pupils; such a determination that they learn; and an expectation that one should do the best possible, that the boys and girls grew up and did very well indeed. She kept in touch with the Norton School as to requirements. Mr. Burton let her know how the camp children were doing after they came under his tutelage. If there were problems, solutions were sought. Most of the students walked back and forth across the hill to school. So did the teachers when they wanted to go to the stores, movies, or whatever.

            For some years, students have traveled by bus to the Wise schools.

            There were many forms of recreation. There were molasses stir-offs, apple butter making, church socials, picnics, hikes, hunting on the Company farm, and horseback riding. "Uncle Jack" Fawbush was in charge of a stable of fine horses. "Big Red" and "Brown Betty" were two that I remember, the latter particularly, as I rode her to High Knob and around company property. Uncle Jack was always proud to lead the parades in Norton.

            A Scout cabin was built for the local troops, and for get-togethers for other groups.

            Dorchester had good baseball teams from very early years, as shown by pictures still in existence. The ballground was near the commissary. Bleachers furnished seating for the hundreds, and sometimes thousands, who came to see the games. In the 1940's, the games  were broadcast from the camp, usually by Carroll Tate. It was taken so seriously that good players were given jobs with the company. The team became semi-pro with high ranking in the League.

            In 1959, the company built a recreation area at Black Creek Lake. There were fishing and swimming facilities, a sandy beach, and a lodge, part of which was an executive coach #101, from the Interstate Railroad. This private car has since been taken to Big Stone Gap and renovated. It now serves as a center for tourist information.

            Some company doctors first lived in the camp. From Medical Register No. 2 Wise County Courthouse, these names were obtained: Robert P. Kelly, registered at Wise, 12 Feb 1913; Barton Bates McCluer, 25 Feb 1913; Basil E. Strode, 5 Ma    rch 1914; Glen Taylor Foust, 2 Jan 1917; F. S. Givens, 30 April 1919; Charles Robert (Dr. Bobby) Jones, 14 Sept 1927. Some doctors lived in Norton and took care of camp patients.

            It has been hard to determine the correct sequence of events in the coal business at Dorchester. In 1879, Gen. John D. Imboden succeeded in getting some Pittsburgh businessmen interested in the undeveloped coal and iron lands of Southwest Virginia. This resulted in these groups buying land in Lee and Wise Counties. Some of this turned out to be in the Patrick Hagan Survey. This they bought for one dollar per acre, with Hagan reserving 550 acres in Prince's Flats (now Norton), and one-half interest in two acres at Burning Springs on Clear Creek. Lack of transportation slowed development of these lands.

            One of the businessmen was Mahlon S. Kemmerer, already involved with the above group. He hired John C. Haskell as his agent to search for and buy timber and coal lands. Haskell bought ten thousand acres around Dorchester under his own name, then transferred titles to Kemmerer.

            It is said that coal was found at Dorchester in 1880. Trains reached Norton in 1891.

A Mr. Gray began an operation in Dorchester. Patrick J. Millitt built coke ovens there in 1894 - 1895. The postoffice was established 18 Nov 1895, with Millitt as postmaster. He was superintendent of the coal company. In 1894, Mr. Gray produced and sent out coke over L&N Railroad. (Did Millitt work for Gray?)

            Coal operations on a commercial scale was started when the Colonial Coal and Coke Company was organized in 1899, with John L. Kemmerer (son of Mahlon) as president. In 1902, the plant of Wise Coal and Coke Company was formed at Dorchester, and the Sutherland Coal and Coke Company in 1906. Mahlon Kemmerer bought out Colonial in 1905. IN 1917, all three were consolidated as Wise Coal and Coke Company, with John L. Kemmerer, Sr., President, and Robert S. Graham, Vice-President. Later, John L. Kemmerer, Jr., was in charge.

            John A. Esser left the Virginia Iron and Coal Company, and was connected, for a time, with the Kemmerer interests. Much of the camp was built while he was superintendent; also the church. He belonged to the Norton Presbyterian Church. The pastor and church officials worked with the Dorchester people, of whom many were on the Norton church roll, even though they attended the camp church. Benjamin F. Horne served long and faithfully as Sunday School Superintendent, as did Alfred T. Courtney. Both were Presbyterian elders. However, the church was a community church with all denominations attending. Raymond "Pod" Woods was also a pillar of the church, a scoutmaster, and a good ballplayer.

            The company had to get its products out of Dorchester to the main railroads; therefore, New York Mining and Manufacturing Company built a line to Dorchester Junction. In 1915, the Interstate, a short independent railroad, bought this line and hauled out coal, coke and timber from the camp to the Southern and L & N at Appalachia, the N & W at Norton, and the Clinchfield at Bangor (Miller Yard).

            Men from Hungary and Italy came to the camp to work, as did some black people, most of them bringing their families. A Catholic priest came in when needed and their church was built, as was a church for the blacks.

            D. (Douglas) Terpstra, an engineer from Holland, came in as superintendent, and built a power plant in 1914-1915, to furnish power for Dorchester. Prior to this time, Norton Coal Company had furnished electricity for Norton. Kemmerer bought out its power interests. However, the station tried to furnish power for too many areas, so Old Dominion Power Company took over and built a larger station at The Pocket in Lee County to supplement the supply. Terpestra bought and operated the well-known dairy, Clinch Haven Farms, in Powell Valley for many years.

            In the early 1950's, a coal cleaning and processing plant was added to the Dorchester tipple, then an experimental rotary coke oven was erected.

            On 28 March 1963, Wise Coal and Coke Company discontinued deep mining, but bought coal to make coke.

            Families moved away from camp. The houses, churches and school were torn down and the land stripmined. On 28 February 1967, the company ceased to operate and on 1 January 1972, sold out to Greater Wise, Inc.

            There were times when there was unrest or worry over jobs, or economic pressures, but on the whole, Dorchester was a good community in which to live. It was "home" to nearly three generations for some families. We meet and talk about "the good old days."