McClure, a town that was literally brought back from the dead

History is often times best told by those who actually lived it. And Glenn Kiser was one of those people who not only lived it but who also wrote about the things that he knew about. The following story about the community of McClure, Virginia, was written by Kiser and was presented in the October 26, 1956, issue of The Dickensonian. The article, which was titled McClure Came Back From The Dead, is presented as it appeared in the newspaper in 1956 except that it has been changed to indicate that it was written in the past. Kiser wrote: “The annals of human history are replete with stories of individuals who have lifted themselves by their own bootstraps. It is a rare occurrence, though, when an entire town does the same thing — and even more so when it has to make those bootstraps itself.

“But that was the story of McClure, a town that was literally brought back from the dead. And a more heartwarming story of courage and determination in the face of soul-sickening odds can scarcely be imagined.

“This Dickenson County community was once the center of a sprawling hardwood lumber empire and enjoyed an economic level known to but few localities in this area. Built in 1917-18 by the W M. Ritter Lumber Company, its huge band mill and planing mill, along with the allied logging operation, employed hundreds of people.

“Prior to that it was the first county seat. When the county was formed in 1880, the Virginia General Assembly designated this spot, which is the geographical center of the county, as the site where the county seat was to be built. Opposition, however, arose in several sections of the county; and as a result of the bickering, it was moved to Nora, five miles south of [McClure], and then to Clintwood in 1882.

“McClure remained more or less a wilderness until the Ritter people came to the county, the vast forest broken only here and there by small farms located on the bottom land along the river.

“During the years that followed the establishment of the lumber industry, literally millions and millions of dollars worth of the world’s finest matched hardwood flooring and other prestige wood products were processed at the town’s plants. Then, suddenly it seemed, the timber was gone, and the operation finished.

“Early in 1940 the Ritter people began dismantling the huge mills and moving the machinery and most of the key personnel of the company to other operations. Within a few short weeks what had been a lively, bustling, prosperous town became a brooding ghost, staring out across the denuded hills through the lifeless windows of its vacant homes.

“That was how it was in 1944, and folks said that was how it would remain. But they reckoned without the courage and ingenuity of two peoples — Kenneth V. Herndon and his attractive wife Julia.

“When the Ritter Company left McClure, not all of the residents followed. Herndon was one of those who elected to stay. A field auditor for Ritter’s far-flung empire, he had fallen in love with the section along McClure River; and he felt there was surely some way of fanning the spark of life back into the community.

“Casting about for a business to get into, Herndon finally decided on the industry he knew best — lumber. He established the McClure Lumber and Builders Supply Company, and soon astonished residents of the town were watching the somewhat incongruous sight of lumber coming into McClure instead of going out.

“Herndon’s choice was a fortunate one. The building boom that followed World War II was just beginning and his business flourished from the very start. But it did not solve the problem that irked him. Although his business was prosperous it could not possibly utilize the manpower that would be necessary to fill the vacant houses and bring a semblance of life to the stricken town. More industry must be found.

“He finally induced the Erwin Supply Company, a large wholesale dealer in mining and hardware supplies, to locate a branch at McClure. Dickenson County was just beginning to realize the full fruits of its vast coal potential and drift mines and stripping operates were springing up on every hillside.

“[In 1956] Erwin [had] one of the most modern plants in this area at McClure and employed a small army of salesmen, material handlers, truck drivers, etc. It also proved to be a godsend to the county’s coal industry and its equipment kept the mines operating at top efficiency and production at record levels.

“Industry attracts industry, and pretty soon, after Erwin opened for business, the community’s largest enterprise moved in and set up shop. This was Clinchfield Coal Corporation’s central repair shop, a gigantic concentration of skills and equipment that [did] every job from sharpening a pick to building an electric locomotive.

“Following the opening of their huge operation at Lick Fork, near Clintwood, Clinchfield officials could scarcely fail to notice that McClure was the center of the axis of their vast three-pronged operation at Lick Fork, Clinchco and Dante. The town had railroad facilities and the space for the operation, so the great, sprawling repair plant was built on the site once occupied by Ritter’s planing mill.

“Those shops [employed] more than 100 men, all highly skilled, top-drawer technicians who were also at the top of the wage scale. Their arrival was the big boost McClure needed, and Kenneth Herndon watched with something akin to paternalistic pride as lights began to come on in the staring houses and the empty streets filled with the joyful carefree laughter of children.

“The golden hand again touched McClure, and again it was the hand of Clinchfield Coal Corporation, this time bearing the accouterments of a natural gas boom.

“Shortly after the war, the company began sinking gas wells along McClure River, and approximately 90 percent of them turned out to be producers. Soon the combined output of the wells was totaling millions of cubic feet per day. McClure became the center of this new industry, and a pipeline was built from the town to tie into the transmission lines of the Kentucky and West Virginia Gas Company in Kentucky.

“Drilling for gas [continued] in the area, and McClure was still headquarters for this operation as well as the focal point for the transmission lines [in 1956].

“With a healthy, vigorous economy established for the community, Julia Herndon stepped into the picture. Not that she hadn’t been there all the time, encouraging and assisting her husband as he nourished the tiny spark of the town’s economic life, but she preferred to remain in the background in matters of business, a sphere that in this section is still considered to be strictly a man’s world.”

That part of the story will be presented next week.

Because of the present Covid-19 virus situation in our country, our office is scheduled to be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 12 noon only. However, for the safety of our volunteers (who are in the vulnerable category being over 60 years of age), we ask that you call ahead for an appointment. We request that masks be worn inside the office and that social distancing be maintained.

For more information concerning any of our articles, books for sale, or for assistance with research, please contact the Historical Society office at 276/926-6355, P. O. Box 52, Clintwood, Va., 24228, or dchs1880@gmail.com. If no answer, please leave a message (which includes your name. phone number, and the purpose of your call) and one of our volunteers will return your call. Or contact Edith Faye Redden at 276/926-4117.