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Images of America: Virginia
Dickenson County
Dickenson County was formed in 1880 from parts of Wise, Russell, and Buchanan Counties. The county was named for William J. Dickenson, a legislator from Russell County who sponsored the bill in the House of Delegates that established it as the 100th county in Virginia. Dickenson has since been referred to as Virginia's baby county. Daniel Boone may have been the first white man to see the area. In 1767, he and two others traveled northward from the Yadkin River in North Carolina and reached the headwaters of the West (later called Russell) Fork of the Big Sandy River. Dickenson has one of the largest underground stores of coal in the world, with coal and lumber providing the majority of jobs for the region. The county is home to bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who is from Clintwood and was raised on Sandy Ridge. The county was home to "Ironman" Claude Fuller, who played baseball for the New York Yankees. The county is famous for the "Petticoat Government," an all-women town council and a mayor that received national attention. One of the most tragic mining accidents occurred in Dickenson County in 1932 when an explosion at Splashdam Mine killed 10 men.
130 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2007
9 people want to read
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March 6, 2021
I bought this book because I kept seeing it around at touristy type places and thought I needed to have the book about my home county. It also fits the Popsugar prompt a book in a different format (pictures with captions) so I decided the time was right.
I wanted to love this book but it fell so short of what it could have been.
The Good:
I liked the historical pictures, many of which were donated by Dennis Reedy who has done a great deal of work on preserving Dickenson County's history.
There is a lot about the lumber industry and Ritter Lumber Company which was interesting.
The Bad:
Where is the mining?? Mining is barely mentioned in this book. The major industry in the county for a number of years was just glossed over. There was a chapter on the UMWA strike, but it felt out of left field.
In the school chapter there was a modern-day picture of Ervington High School, but no Clintwood or Haysi High Schools.
In the chapter on churches only a few were showcased, which is fine, but in the descriptions, it was obvious the writer didn't do much research. In some places, info about how the Baptists or Methodists got started originally was just thrown in for filler. Maybe some anecdotes from existing members would have been nice.
There were a lot of blurry pictures in the book. I get the historical pictures being blurry, but pictures from the late 80's forward should have been clear.
Overall this book is poorly done and you can feel good about not forking over the $20 to own it. If you want a good book on Dickenson County look for Dennis Reedy's book.
I wanted to love this book but it fell so short of what it could have been.
The Good:
I liked the historical pictures, many of which were donated by Dennis Reedy who has done a great deal of work on preserving Dickenson County's history.
There is a lot about the lumber industry and Ritter Lumber Company which was interesting.
The Bad:
Where is the mining?? Mining is barely mentioned in this book. The major industry in the county for a number of years was just glossed over. There was a chapter on the UMWA strike, but it felt out of left field.
In the school chapter there was a modern-day picture of Ervington High School, but no Clintwood or Haysi High Schools.
In the chapter on churches only a few were showcased, which is fine, but in the descriptions, it was obvious the writer didn't do much research. In some places, info about how the Baptists or Methodists got started originally was just thrown in for filler. Maybe some anecdotes from existing members would have been nice.
There were a lot of blurry pictures in the book. I get the historical pictures being blurry, but pictures from the late 80's forward should have been clear.
Overall this book is poorly done and you can feel good about not forking over the $20 to own it. If you want a good book on Dickenson County look for Dennis Reedy's book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review