Clean-up campaign to beautify the McClure community

Submitted by

Edith Faye Redden

Dickenson County Historical Society President

The October 26, 1956, issue of The Dickensonian, presented an article written by Glenn Kiser. With the exception that the article has been changed to indicate the past, it is presented as it was published in 1956.

As stated last week, K. V. Herndon was instrumental in the accomplishment of bringing McClure “back from the dead” after the W. M. Ritter Company left. Then, his wife, Julia, stepped into the picture.

“As [Julia Herndon] saw it, this group of individuals, this conglomerate concentration of divergent views and purposes [had to] be molded into a community, a cohesive society with common aspirations for the betterment of all.

“She started with the church. Here, not only was a fertile field but one that in many communities in the past had proved to be a central rallying point from which countless other projects could be launched.

“The McClure Methodist Church, once a flourishing institution, had fallen to what looked like an irredeemable low. Only three adult members remained of its once populous congregation; and it was served at infrequent intervals by ministers who took time out from their own charges to bring a message to this little flock.

“Through the work of re-establishing the church, the people of the town came to know each other better and to see and recognize the problems that were common to all.

“When the lumber company [which owned the town] left McClure, it sold all the houses and land to the Swannanoa Corporation, the land agency of Clinchfield Coal. Swannanoa divided the town into lots and put them up for sale. As the new residents moved in, they, in most instances, bought these houses.

“Years of neglect had left them in a condition that [could] be more mercifully described as deplorable. Following their realization that they were now indeed a part of a community, the new owners turned to the job of improving these homes.

“Of the many organizations that grew out of Julia Herndon’s church project, none [was] more active than that of the Boy Scouts. It was this group that first turned the residents’ eyes toward the run-down condition of the community’s general appearance.

“Partly to start a community-wide clean-up program and partly to raise money for their own civic projects, the Scouts went into the garbage collection business. They secured used oil drums, painted them in attractive colors and placed them at the various homes. Once every week they collected the garbage and disposed of it at a charge of 25 cents per family. Incidentally, Herndon furnished the truck used by the Scouts.

“From this start, the clean-up campaign spread to every nook and corner of the community. Lawns were seeded, houses painted inside and out, new furniture was installed, and from the drab cocoon of this desolate ghost emerged a community of shining, modern homes, clean streets, well-kept lawns and people with justified pride in their possessions.

“Those, in brief, were the externals. But there was something else, something that in the final sense defied description. Call it community spirit, or people helping people, or whatever you want, but it was something that was becoming rare indeed in the whirlwind modern age.

“There was a strong feeling of kinship in this community, a sense of responsibility to others, a spirit of cooperation and mass conscience that seemed to be fast disappearing from the American scene.

“When there was something to be done here, the whole community pitched in and did it. No matter for whom or what cause, just as long as it would be of help to some individual or group in the community

“The Methodist Church got its first resident pastor that year. But there was no parsonage in which he could live. Did that stop them? Indeed not! The whole community, regardless of denomination, turned out and remodeled a company clubhouse into one of the most attractive homes in the county and they also contributed the materials.

“When the new Ervinton High School was opened at Nora [just two years before], McClure residents immediately organized the Ervinton Booster club. This group, through various enterprises, equipped the school’s first football team and loudly argued with school authorities until they got a lighted athletic field.

“They also raised more than $3,000 to purchase instruments for a school band. [By the time this article appeared in the newspaper], they had the instruments and the talent but... no instructor.

“The Herndons were inclined to belittle [the] part [they played] in the town’s comeback; but the fact remained that they started it and continued to be the driving force behind all new projects.

“And they had plenty of help. Special credit [was given] to Mr. and Mrs. Remire Sutherland, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buchanan, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Patton, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bibb, Mr. and Mrs. Corbett Mann, the Shipman family, the J. D. Nicewonder family. [However], the complete list would have included practically every family in the community.

“The work had only begun, said the Herndons as they pored over their maps and planned and charted ambitious projects for the future. And no matter how fantastic those projects seemed, the people of McClure backed them to the hilt.

“Perhaps such a spirit of cooperation, such a simple joy in living could be found only in a town that knows what it is to die.”

McClure was also home to one of the shortest railroads in the world. That 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.