Howdy, list Will send a little about the above subject. I grew up at Jewell Ridge. My family owned a goodly amount of land that was acquired by the Jewell Ridge Coal Corp. about the turn of the century. There are two cemeteries at Jewell Ridge, one the "Company" Cemetery, located near the east end of the community on a knoll and the Burke Family Cemetery, perhaps a half mile further east. Perhaps the following will tell a bit about Jewell Ridge. Prior to a post office being established up there, mail was addressed to Big Creek, Va. and before that to Cedar Bluff. The Burke family was planted there with James and Catherine (Griffits) Burk when they settled there about 1847 I am sending my manuscript portion of the Dividing Ridge. One must know the topography of that country before it can be understood, and especially why some folks get upset when they feel a family name was stolen. _______________________________ The Dividing Ridge (A.k.a. Sandy Ridge) A rugged geological formation of sandstone and shale is raised into a ridge that forms part of the western boundary of upper Clinch Valley. It divides the waters of western Tazewell County, Virginia between the Tennessee Drainage Basin via the Clinch River and the Ohio River Drainage Basin via the Sandy. The Dividing Ridge as it has been known from the earliest days has a mean elevation of about 2800 feet with the terrain often exceeding 100% grade. The soil is shallow and less fertile than that of the more southern and eastern stretches of the county. Rich deposits of bituminous coal lie under the sandstone overburden. The dividing line between Tazewell and Buchanan begins at a point on the Dividing Ridge, about eight or nine miles northwest of the village of Raven; and from thence runs along said ridge to Bear Wallow. And the dividing line between Tazewell and McDowell starts at the point where the counties of Tazewell and Buchanan corner at Bear Wallow. Thence the line runs "eastwardly along the ridge between Clinch and the Dry Fork of Sandy, to a place called the "But of Belsher's ridge;" thence a straight line to the mouth of Horse Pen Creek, and up the same to Jessee Doughtons, and up the left hand fork of said Horse Pen Creek to the Low Gap in Tug Ridge; thence with the same to the ridge between Abb's Valley and Sandy, to the Mercer line." "History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920" William C. Pendleton The county line tends to follow the watershed created by the crest of the Dividing Ridge. Topographical maps reflect that Jewell Ridge; Chicken Ridge, Stinson Ridge, Reynolds Ridge, Brown Ridge and others are lateral ridges or spurs of the Dividing Ridge. Smith Ridge is a part of the Dividing Ridge. The Burk property lying as it did on both sides of the Dividing Ridge was split between Tazewell and Buchanan Counties, with the erection of Buchanan County in 1858. ________________________________________ Jewell Ridge George St. Clair and associates acquired a vast territory including the mineral and timber rights in Buchanan and Tazewell counties. The property is situated on both sides of the Dividing Ridge. This entrepreneurial experience was named Jewell Ridge Coal Corporation. When the 'Company' began operations (~1908) there wasn't any housing for the miners. The 'drift mouth' or entrance to the original mine is let into a coal seam about a half-mile below the head spring(s) of Big Creek. The original miners' community consisted of a few houses built in the valley near the stream, below the mine entrance. This valley also was the holding yard for empty railroad cars. The tramway or mine car railroad from the mine to the tipple where the coal was weighed, processed and loaded on railroad cars was situated on the hillside above the houses. With the success of their mining venture generated a need for additional housing, Mr. St. Clair decided to build a community away from the noise, dust and the confinement of a very narrow valley (hollow). He selected a spur of the Dividing Ridge. The head of this spur joins the Dividing Ridge about 100 yards east of the Burke Family Cemetery and the foot was at the location of the former railway depot, Jewell. From its juncture at the head, it runs in a southwesterly direction, turning almost parallel to the Dividing Ridge at the head of Stinson Ridge. The community that he built is named Jewell Ridge. Several stories surround the selection of this name. "Mr. St. Clair chose to assume the name Jewell to rename the Ridge "Jewell Ridge" by taking away my husband's family. That left the Jewell Family to find another name for their Ridge. They chose Chicken Ridge because they were too chicken to fight the Big Company." Mary Elizabeth Henderson "The community was named for the first female child born into the Jewell Family." Dorothy Burke Cook Louise Leslie offers another version in her book, "Tazewell County." In its hey-day the community consisted of housing, an elementary school, a Presbyterian church, a company store or commissary, Y.M.C.A., a movie theater, pool hall, filling (service) station, some company offices, garages, boarding house, medical facilities and in later years, a home for teachers. Perhaps 250 yards east of the original mine entrance (drift mouth), the road forked with one side (left) crossing the creek to the South facing slope of the Dividing Ridge. The road continues up the ridge to a gap where it divides again, the left fork following the Dividing Ridge into that section known as Smith Ridge. The right fork (now technically in Buchanan County) follows east side of the ridge where at the crest, it forks again. This left fork continues to 'Uncle Billy Burke's' home (next intersection) at the head of Brown Ridge. The right fork passes by the Burke Cemetery, located on the right and the homestead of Charles R. Burke is on the left opposite the cemetery. The former home of Wade F. Burke is next on the right past the Cemetery and the former home of James C. Burke is next on the left with the head of Stinson Ridge being next to the left. The right fork continues to the east end of the mining community. At 'Uncle Billy's' home the road (to the right) and the Dividing Ridge continue to the head of Chicken Ridge on the left, Reynolds Ridge and Bear Wallow to the right. Returning to the forks in the road above the mine entrance, and keeping to the right, through a series of switchbacks and sharp curves one arrives at the western end of the mining community or 'camp'. Crossing the 'cattle guards' into the camp and continuing up and east to the crest (perhaps 100 yards) was the beginning of the community center. First, to your right would be the filling station in the corner. The square held the original commissary, 'hospital', theater, church, post-office and other recreational facilities on its western and southern sides. The east-end of the square was the site of the boarding house. Returning to the filling station and along the left (north) side was the Company offices, barbershop and several garages for employees' vehicles. Leaving the community center and about a quarter mile easterly, on the left was the school. The majority of the houses were well built with slate roofs. Most contained four rooms, a few were only three rooms while near the community center were a few that were larger. The larger houses were homes for Company officials, engineers, store manager, etc. In the late 1930's or early '40s, fire destroyed most of the community center. A new brick building was erected along the south side of the square. It contained a new commissary, business and engineering offices for the Company. A bowling alley, gymnasium and a meeting room for the local Boy Scout Troop, and restaurant was constructed on the site of the old commissary. A new combined post office and filling station facility was built on the west side of the square. The church was rebuilt next to the school. In the 1930's and '40s, Dr. Rufus Brittian and a full time nurse staffed the 'hospital'. For the families that lived there in those days, these facilities constituted about all the medical help they wanted or could afford. Medical services included physicals for employees and family. School students received preventive medicine vaccinations and 'shots.' Accidents were treated and obstetrical services provided. Dentists who practiced in Richlands made the journey to Jewell Ridge, providing dental services one or two days a week. Noteworthy of the community was its freedom from coal dust, the hallmark of coal mining. The community street was paved while adjacent county roads were dirt or at best, graveled. Homes were separated along each side and protected from traffic in front by an inverted chain link fence. A sad note about that inverted fence. Dogs loved to jump over it and occasionally one would underestimate the height of the fence resulting in disemboweling. It was also pretty rough on the legs of young boys who got caught in it. Each home was landscaped with one or two beautiful maple trees planted in the yard. George St. Clair was succeeded by his son, Houston St. Clair, Ph.D. as president of the 'Company.' Dr. St. Clair was as forward looking and concerned about his employees as his father. Being a student of the Jewell Ridge Elementary School during the 1940's, I benefited from a radical policy of the day, that is schools furnishing textbooks to students on a rental basis. That policy, initiated by Dr. St. Clair was a first in Tazewell County and one of the firsts in the Commonwealth. If my memory is correct, Dr. St.Clair and then Governor Colgate W. Darden visited the school to celebrate this advance in education. A year or so before the 'free' textbook policy was implemented, the Company built two new houses, one for the schoolteachers and the other for the Doctor and his family. By that time, Dr. Rufus Brittian had left to take up practice in Tazewell and Dr. Tiernan was the first resident physician to live in the doctor's house. Again, if my memory is correct, 'Professor' J. C. Montgomery was one of the first teachers to live in the teacher's house. Prior to the Company building the teacher's house, teachers boarded with families in the community or commuted from where they found accommodations. County pay for teachers was supplemented by a stipend from the Company. This ensured having good, well trained capable teachers. My favorite teacher of memory was Mary Brown, 4th grade and Clara Scott, 7th grade. Mr. Montgomery was the principal during my 5th grade year. 'Prof.' Montgomery gave me the only paddling I received in school. (Not that I was 'good', I managed to not get caught). Doran and Dicks, being parties to deeds found recorded in the courthouses as purchasers of portions of the Burke lands are believed to have been the agents representing the owners/developers of the Jewell Ridge Coal Co. David. M. Burke deburgh@scescape.net