The Past Reflected in the Hopes for the Future - West Virginia ...

The Past Reflected in the Hopes for the Future 

Report from the Community Design Team Visit to 

Mount Hope, Fayette County, WV 

October 5-8, 2006 

Peter Schaeffer and Meghan Stalebrink, Editors

Preface 

The Community Design Team (CDT) was initiated in 1997 by West Virginia University 

Extension in cooperation with faculty from across the university. Since then it has provided 

services to thirty communities in twenty-six of West Virginia’s fifty-five counties. Since 1999 

the CDT has been administered by the Division of Resource Management on behalf of WVU 

Extension and the university. Faculty and students from many departments provide support by 

volunteering their expertise, and they are often joined by faculty from other colleges and 

universities, as well as other professionals. 

The CDT assembles interdisciplinary teams who visit communities to study issues identified 

by communities and develop ideas, designs, and plans. The professionals volunteer their time. 

They spend one full day listening to the opinions and visions of community members, and one 

day on developing recommendation to the community. This report is the written statement of 

the recommendations that the CDT presented to the Town of Mt. Hope on October 7, 2006. It 

is for the citizens of Mt. Hope to decide which of the recommendations to accept and how to 

implement them. The CDT leadership will answer follow-up questions by the community to 

the best of its ability. 

Acknowledgments 

The CDT thanks the Mt. Hope Application Committee: 

Michael M. Martin 

Rebecca Dean 

Amber Marstiller 

The CDT thanks the residents of Mt. Hope who opened their homes to CDT members: 

Peggy Dorsey 

Nancy and Michael Martin 

Felice Stark 

John Romage 

Nonie Roberts 

The CDT appreciates the speakers who made presentations to the CDT that helped the team 

better understand the community and its goals and objectives: 

Michael Martin, Mayor of Mount Hope 

Bob Dorado, Business Owner 

Eddie Chournaby, Business Owner 

Betty Lilly, Property Owner 

Randy Rhodes, Principal, Mount Hope Elementary 

Marlo Wallace, Community Member 

Ed Souk, Business Owner 

Richard Harris, Community Member 

David Null, Principal Mount Hope High 

Joseph Groom, Vice Principal Mount Hope High 

Rev. Philip Copney, United Missionary Baptist Church 

Shane Wheeler, Fire Chief 

Eunice Fleming, Community Member 

John Shumate, City Attorney 

Community Design Team Visit – Mt. Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * i *

Vicki Toney, Business Owner 

Jeff Kuhl, Community Member 

Katie Wade, Student/Community Member 

John Potter, Business Owner 

Howard Scott, Community Member 

Ernie Wickline, Community Member 

Francis Grant, Community Member 

Edith Bailey, Community Member 

David Feurst, Park Service 

Christie Bailey, Coal Heritage 

Debbie Tate, WVU Extension 

Geniveve Aide, Community Member 

John Romage, Community Member 

Dan Hale, Community Member/Artist 

Lynn Loeterrle, National Park Service/Business Owner 

Malcolm Parker, Community Member 

We are also grateful to the individuals who prepared wonderful meals for the CDT and 

community members: 

Anita Grant 

Shirley Jones 

Jaqunita Wickline 

Citizens of Union who provided local favorites at the community potluck dinners. 

The CDT thanks the following individuals and organizations for contributing facilities, 

transportation, and other support: 

Mount Hope Community Center 

The Register-Herald 

The Mount Hope News 

WOAY-TV 4 

Finally, the CDT is grateful to Charles Yuill, MLA, for preparing aerial photographs and maps 

of Mount Hope, and to Michael Hasenmyer, MLA, for scanning the blueprints of the 

community building. 

Mt. Hope Community Design Team Leaders 

Peter Schaeffer, PhD 

Resource Management/Economic Policy 

West Virginia University 

P.O. Box 6108 

Morgantown, WV 26506-6108 

Peter.Schaeffer@mail.wvu.edu 

(304) 293-4832, ext. 4459 

Meghan Stalebrink, MA 

Resource Management/Community Design 

Team Coordinator 


P.O. Box 6108 


Meghan.stalebrink@mail.wvu.edu 

304-293-4832, ext. 4399 

Community Design Team Visit – Mt. Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * ii *

Team Members 

Don Armstrong, MLA 

Landscape Architecture 


P.O. Box 6108 


304-293-2142, ext. 4489 

darmstro@wvu.edu 

Jinki Kim, PhD 



P.O. Box 6108 


Jinki.Kim@mail.wvu.edu 

(304) 293-4832, ext. 4488 

Greg Wingo, MBA 

Marketing 

New River Community and Technical 

College, Business 

101 Church Street 

Lewisburg, WV 24901 

GWINGO@NRCTC.EDU 

304-647-6580 

Mike Walsh, PhD 

Marketing 


College of Business and Economics 

PO Box 6025 


michael.walsh@mail.wvu.edu 

304-293-7960 

Susan Emerick, BS 

Interior Design and Historic Preservation 

1373 College Ave 

Morgantown, WV 26505 

semerick@mix.wvu.edu 

(304) 360-2171 

Steve Allison 


826 Tremont Rd. 

Morgantown, WV 26505 

sallison@mix.wvu.edu 

Claudia Bernasconi, MS Arch 



P.O. Box 6108 


Claudia.Bernasconi@mail.wvu.edu 

304.293.4832, ext. 4450 

Randy Steiner, MArch 

Architecture 

Montgomery College 

51 Mannakee Street 

Technical Center, #TC212 

Rockville, MD 20850 

Randy.Steiner@montgomerycollege.edu 

(301) 251-7599 

Shari Park-Gates, PhD 

Interior Design 


P.O. Box 6124 


Shari.Park-Gates@mail.wvu.edu 

(304) 293-3494 

Ned Eller, AIA 

Architecture 

SEM Partners, Inc. 

PO Drawer Q 

Beckley, WV 25802 

(304) 255-6181 

Christopher Glover 


1285 Buckeye Rd. 

Mt. Morris, PA 15349 

cglover@mix.wvu.edu 

Community Design Team Visit – Mt. Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * iii *

Table of Contents 

Preface i 

Acknowledgments i 

Mount Hope Community Design Team Leaders ii 

Team Members iii 

Table of Contents iv 

Introduction 1 

Socio-Economic Information 2 

Location 4 

Economic Development 6 

Phase 1, Year 1 9 

Phase 2, Years 2-5 10 

Phase 3, Years 6-10 13 

Entryways to Mount Hope 14 

The Gathering of the Community Around the Center 21 

Mount Hope Town Center 21 

Coal Heritage Museum and Coal Heritage Park 27 

Redeveloping the Interior of the Community Center 28 

Streetscape Enhancements 31 

Trail System for a Walkable Community 33 

Resources 39 

Grants 39 

Other Financial Assistance Programs 40 

Technical Assistance 40 

Other Organizations and Resources 42 

Transportation Resources 44 

Tourism 45 

Summary 45 

Community Design Team Visit – Mt. Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * iv *

Introduction 

Peter Schaeffer and Meghan Stalebrink 

The Community Design Team (CDT) visited Mount Hope starting Thursday evening, October 5, and 

ending Sunday morning, October 8, 2006. In addition, three pre-visits to Mount Hope by the two 

CDT team leaders to help the team and the community prepare for this event occurred on June 5, 

July 7, and August 16, 2006, respectively. 

The CDT received a warm welcome and was strongly supported in its efforts to get to know the 

community. The presentations on Friday to the CDT were held as open meetings and were 

significant events for the community, as well. They provided a forum to talk about concerns, issues, 

and past wrongs related to the community’s race history. 

Mount Hope has a rich heritage. The architecture of the community has been influenced by the New 

River Company and the needs of the coal mining industry. The population of the city also owes 

much to this industry which in its heyday attracted African American and European immigrants to 

meet its labor needs. Thus, this small community of 1,443 inhabitants (2003) reflects an important 

part of Appalachia’s industrial history. Residents expressed pride in the history of their community 

and the histories of their families. 

Today, residents and business owners struggle with the decline of retail business, and with lack of 

access to reliable transportation to reach retail and service centers elsewhere. There were concerns 

expressed that race still divides the community. With over twenty-two percent of the population 

classified as Black non-Hispanic (2000 Census), the inclusion of all residents is important not only 

as an issue of fairness and justice, but as a precondition for long-term success. 

The community is rightly proud of its historic architecture. Some of its buildings are linked to 

important stages in American history. For example, some of Mount Hope’s public housing may be 

among the first non-urban HUD housing built in the United States. The community has also the 

well-preserved the company shop and workshop of what was once the New River Company. The 

company’s private hotel is being worked on by its owner with the intention to eventually open it to 

the public. Records from this company have also been preserved. Such assets provide opportunities 

for showing visitors something about life in an Appalachian coal mining town in the early twentieth 

century. 

The city recently acquired the YMCA building downtown, which for many years had been own by 

the school district and used as a school. We are told that it is the second-oldest YMCA in West 

Virginia. The mayor’s office has focused on improving its exterior appearance and graduates from 

the school previously housed their have raised a significant amount of money to pay for 

improvements. In part as a result of such efforts, the exterior was spruced up during the summer 

2006. Thus, the YMCA could become a symbol for the renaissance of downtown. 

Because of the community’s pride in its heritage and because of the potential that the heritage 

represents, the CDT used the motto “The Past Reflected in the Hopes for the Future” for its visit and 

this report. 

The report is organized as follows. We start with a brief section that presents socio-economic 

information about Mount Hope. This is information that was not presented to the community on 

October 7, 2006, but is included here because it provides useful background, particularly for the 

economic development section. The main body of the report consists of four sections (1) economic 

Community Design Team Visit – Mount Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * 1 *

development, (2) landscape architectural and design issues, (3) infrastructure, and (4) health care. 

The report ends with a short summary. 

Socio-Economic Information 

Peter Schaeffer 

Mount Hope is part of the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area. Both Oak Hill and the City of 

Mount Hope have been losing population for the last quarter of a century (Table 1). The population 

estimate for 2005 for Mount Hope is 1,411, indicating that the population decline has slowed but has 

not yet stopped. 

Table 1: Population and Population Change, 1980-2003 

1980 1990 2000 2003 

Mount Hope 

Population 1,849 1,537 1,487 1,443 

Percent Change from Previous Count -14.9 -5.5 -3.0 

Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area 

Population 57,863 47,952 47,579 47,339 

Percent Change from Previous Count -17.1 -0.8 -0.5 

Source: Census Data (http://socds.huduser.org/census/) 

The racial mix of the population has changed somewhat since 1980 (Table 2), almost exclusively 

because the African American population declined more slowly than the white population of Mount 

Hope. 

Table 2: Race and Ethnicity, 1980-2003 

1980 1990 

Mount Hope 

2000 

Total Population 1,849 1,537 1,487 

Black, Non-Hispanic 361 342 332 

Percent Black, Non-Hispanic 19.5 21.7 22.3 


Total Population 57,863 47,952 47,579 

Black, Non-Hispanic 4,305 3,087 2,647 

Percent Black, Non-Hispanic 7.4 6.4 5.6 


Table 2 shows that while the African American population in the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical 

Area declined by over 38 percent from 1980 to 2000, it changed by less in Mount Hope. Since it also 

declined less than the white population of Mount Hope, its share of the total population of the 

community increased. The number of other ethnic groups in Mount Hope is insignificant, though 

they have been growing in the surrounding area. In 2000 non-Hispanic minorities accounted for 1.5 

percent of the population of the Oak Hill Micropolitan Area and Hispanics accounted for 0.7 

percent. 

Over the period 1980 to 2000 Mount Hope also experienced significant changes in housing 

occupancy. While in 1980 69.0 percent of all occupied homes were owner occupied, by the year 

2000 this rate had dropped almost ten points to 59.5 percent. The number of vacant unit grew from 

8.3 percent in 1980 to 15.7 percent in 1990, and then dropped slightly to 14.1 percent by the year 

2000 (Census). The total number of occupied units dropped from 700 in 1980 to 635 in 2000, 


however, the number of renter occupied and vacant units increased from 217 to 257 and from 63 to 

104, respectively. By contrast, the number of owner occupied unit decreased over this period from 

483 to 378. 

Table 3: Income and Poverty, 1969-2003 

1979 1989 1999 2003 

Mount Hope 

Median Family Income (in 1999 Dollars) 30,892 27,482 23,333 No data 

Poverty Rate (Percent) 24.5 34.9 36.0 35.6 


Median Family Income (in 1999 Dollars) 34,885 28,010 30,244 No data 

Poverty Rate (Percent) 17.0 24.7 21.7 20.2 


The trend indicated by the housing market is confirmed by the income and poverty information 

contained in Table 3. In constant 1999 dollars, the median family income in Mount Hope in 1999 

was more than $7,000 lower than twenty years earlier. The income decline is reflected in the raise of 

the poverty rate. While the Oak Hill Micropolitan Area seems to have begun to recover, as 

demonstrated by the increase in median family income, by 2003 Mount Hope had not yet reached 

that stage. 

For most households, the home is their biggest asset. Thus, the development of property values is 

also an important indicator of the development of their wealth. 

Table 4: Median Household Owner’s Value and Median Gross Rent, 1980-2000 

All valued in 1999 Dollars 1980 1990 2000 

Mount Hope 

Median Household Owner’s Value 63,486 36,073 35,120 

Median Gross Rent 289 187 204 


Median Household Owner’s Value 64,539 43,836 49,196 

Median Gross Rent 370 339 345 


The figures in Table 4 confirm the information of the other three tables, namely that Mount Hope is 

not participating in the economic recovery taking place in the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area. 

Also, the data indicate that by 2000, this recovery was modest, so that it did not generate a strong 

force that could have pulled Mount Hope along. 

While Mount Hope lags behind the rest of the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area in population, 

housing, and income development, community residents are above average in terms of their 

educational attainment. Of the individuals who were at least twenty five years old in 2000, 29.7 

percent of Mount Hope residents had not completed high school, compared to 31.4 percent in all of 

the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area. The percentage of individuals with a high school diploma 

was comparable, but the percentage with some college or an associate, and the percentage college 

graduate or those with advanced degrees was higher in Mount Hope. In 2000, the labor force 

participation rate in Mount Hope was almost identical to that of the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical 

Area as a whole. 

In summary, Mount Hope is a community that has experienced significant economic and population 

decline over the last twenty-five years. While the decline has slowed, by 2003, the last year for 


which we have data, it had not yet started to turn around, unlike the rest of the statistical area. The 

combined decline in population and income poses a significant challenge to retailers in downtown 

Mount Hope. Therefore, a strategy aimed at reviving downtown commercial businesses must find 

ways to add to the existing customer base. 

Location 


Mount Hope is located at the southern edge of Fayette County (Figure 1 and Figure 2), right at the 

border to Raleigh County, about halfway between the communities of Oak Hill and Beckley. It is 

part of the Oak Hill Micropolitan Statistical Area. Located on highway 19 and close to Interstates 64 

and 77, the community has excellent access to highways. The proximity to Beckley with its 

shopping and service centers provides residents with excellent shopping opportunities, but those 

businesses also represent tough competition for 

Mount Hope retailers and service providers. 

Figure 1: West Virginia Highway Map 

Figure 1 shows that Mount Hope is well 

integrated into the state and Interstate highway 

Figure 1: Highway Map of West Virginia 

system. In addition, Figure 2 shows that it is also 

close to major tourist attractions, such as the New 

River Gorge National River, which is managed by 

the National Park Service. These are assets that 

the community may be able to use to its advantage 

in its economic redevelopment strategy. 

The location within the Oak Hill Micropolitan 

Statistical Area creates both advantages and 

disadvantages. While shopping centers in larger 

communities are competitors that Mount Hope 

retailers will find hard to match, they may be able 

to identfy nitches and attract customers from those 

other communities. The lagging housing prices in 

Mount Hope may position the community to be attractive to first-time home buyers and individuals 

with interests in older homes and in historic communities. 


Community Design Team Visit – Mount Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia * 5 * 

Figure 2: Extract Map of Southern Fayette County with Name of Mount Hope Highlighted 

Source ;f Map: West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, 

http://www.wvdot.com/countyroadmaps/default.asp

Economic Development 

Michael Walsh. Gregg Wingo, Meghan Stalebrink, and Peter Schaeffer 

We are using the motto “The Past Reflected in the Hopes for the Future” because Mount Hope’s 

future is inexorably linked to its history. Thus, building on strengths created in the past may be a 

viable part of an economic redevelopment strategy. The motto was also chosen to reflect the pride 

expressed by the citizens of Mount Hope who addressed the Community Design Team in the 

architectural and historical heritage of their community. 

Mount Hope has historical assets in the form of buildings, places representing events, and 

documents. It has cultural assets that are linked to its history, including its racial and ethnic 

population mix. Last, but not least, Mount Hope represents part of Appalachia’s coal heritage. In 

Mount Hope, these three assets are closely interrelated. Leaders and residents expressed a hope and 

desire to use them in a redevelopment strategy for their 

community. As we discuss below, this may be possible, 

particularly since the region is already well known for its coal 

heritage, and the national Coal Heritage Scenic Byway starts 

in Beckley (Source, Figure 3: 

http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/10346/travel.html). The 

community could become part of the schedule for travelers 

and benefit from existing infrastructures and reputations of 

this national byway. Making Mount Hope an integral part of 

coal tourist region would create a greater attraction than 

Mount Hope would be as a coal heritage site independent of 

other existing regional heritage sites. 

In general, Mount Hope could seek to benefit from the traffic 

generated by nearby national tourist attractions, which also 

Figure 3: Coal Heritage Scenic Byway 

include the New River Gorge National River. Well over one 

million people a year visit this national river. This many 

visitors create opportunities for nearby communities to enhance their experiences. 

As already alluded to, Mount Hope has assets that could potentially make the community a coal 

heritage tourist site. Specifically, we are aware of the following significant potential assets that tie 

into the coal heritage theme: 

• Along Main Street, the former company store (that had apparently previously served as an 

Overland automobile dealership), office building (a registered historic place), machine shops, 

and the hotel of the New River Company are preserved. The company store is currently owned 

by and used as a church. The hotel is structurally sound but otherwise not in good shape. It is in 

process of being renovated by an individual owner. The former company shops are currently 

being used and are not open to the public. 

• Mount Hope has public housing that is among the first non-urban New Deal public housing in 

the nation. 

• The YMCA was built in 1920/21 and is the second-oldest of its kind in West Virginia. For 

several decades it served as a school but was recently sold back to the city and has once again 

become a center for community activities. 

• The New River Company had preserved many of its records, which are of great interests for the 

study of industrial history. They include personnel records, minutes of stockholder meetings, 


etc. However, the records need to be preserved and stored properly to survive long term. They 

also need proper space to be accessible to scholars. 

• The high school football stadium was built in the 1930s and its construction represented a 

community effort. Its front is unusual and beautiful and its fit into the mountainside is very 

nicely executed. 

• The mural in the post office was painted in 1942 and is titled “Mining.” It was commissioned 

as part of the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Federal Art program and is an 

illustration of the coal industry, which at that time still dominated the community’s economy. 

The mural shows Mount Hope’s various ethnic and racial groups at work, together. 

• There is good architecture in the downtown area. 

• Site of the “Famous New River Smokeless Coal” portal. 

• Mount Hope is the site of the July 23, 1966 gas explosion in the New River Co. Siltix mine, 

which cost seven miners their lives. Maybe this could become a site for visitor to reflect and 

remember the sacrifices made by miners and their families. 

Together these are significant potential assets for a redevelopment strategy built in part around 

attracting heritage tourism traffic to Mount Hope. However, because many of these assets are in poor 

condition and/or are not accessible to visitors, and because most visitors are unaware of the existence 

or of the significance of some of these assets, at this time they represent mostly potential and not yet 

real attractions. At the present time Mount Hope is not a destination as it has only very limited 

tourist offerings. 

We perceive the following strengths and weaknesses as currently being present in Mount Hope: 

Strengths Weaknesses 

• Close to highways (Figure 1) 

Next to major attractions (Figures 2, 3) 

• Committed core group of volunteers 

• Good architecture 

• Community Center more than a facility 

• Not a destination 

• Limited tourist offerings (currently) 

• Competitive threat from Beckley 

• Limited economic base 

• Historically, not stronger than sum of 

its parts 

In addition to having strengths and weaknesses, Mount Hope faces the following opportunities and 

threats: 

Opportunities Threats 

• Tourism magnets near by 

• Coal and cultural heritage 

• Housing costs (first time home buyers) 

• Capacity for growth 

• Established track record for tapping 

grants/foundations 

• Lack of unity 

– Constituencies 

– Conflicting priorities 

• Declining population 

– Future of the High School? 


Figure 4: Photos of Community Sites and Assets 

Exposed seam of the “Famous New River 

Smokeless Coal” 

Private residence across the street from the 

American Hardware Store 

Side view of a downtown retail building 

Front of football stadium 

New River Company’s former company store, 

next to it a former company shop, then the post 

office 

Started by an Italian immigrant years ago, 

this store has become a community 

institution 


To address Mount Hope’s weaknesses and capitalize on its strengths and opportunities, we suggest a 

phased approach. Design recommendations are included and/or implied, but not integrated, into the 

phased recommendations. The recommendation lay out ambitious but achievable expectations. 

Figure 5: Aerial Photograph with List of Assets 

Phase 1, Year 1 

The focus in the first phase, which we expect to last approximately one year, should be on: 

• Organizational development and recruitment of volunteers and contributors, 

and the 

• Development of Mount Hope’s storylines. 

This is not to say that Mount Hope does not have an interesting history. However, we recommend a 

narrative that is a unique story, not coal’s industrial history told with Mount Hope as the 

background. Otherwise it will be more difficult to compete with other coal heritage sites for visitors. 

Personal recollections, and the community’s racial, immigrant, and public housing heritage, may 

contribute to making the story personal and unique. 

To be successful, the following steps should be considered: 

• Community buy-in 

• Volunteer mobilization 

• Intention for abandoned schools 

• Business association 

• Donor base development 

• Self guided tours, docent training and docent pool development 

• Interpretative signage 

• Website/brochure 


Community buy-in is critical to success. Without such buy-in it will be difficult to mobilize 

volunteers for projects, or to achieve agreement on such things as what to do with the abandoned 

schools. It is also a critical step for addressing one of the threats, namely the lack of unity, which is 

also alluded to under weaknesses (“Historically, not stronger than the sum of its parts”). 

We recommend the formation of a business association that can represent the common interests of 

Mount Hope’s business community. 

The development of interpretative signs is an important first step toward telling Mount Hope’s story. 

Currently, a visitor could drive through the city looking at many of the structures without ever 

realizing their significance and role in the industrial and social history of West Virginia and 

Appalachia. Self-guided tours also serve the purpose of “telling the story.” A narrative and map 

could be posted on a website for downloading. This is an increasingly popular and accepted way for 

making tourist information available, and it has the advantage that it can easily be updated, that links 

can be made to other sites of related interest, and that it will be found by individuals who are using a 

search engine looking for coal heritage sites to visit. 

The abandoned schools occupy a prominent site downtown. It is both a highly visible and accessible 

piece of real estate. If redeveloped, it could become an asset for the whole downtown. In its current 

state, however, it is turning into an eyesore, particularly after one of the two buildings had a fire in 

fall 2006, a few days before the visit of the Community Design Team. Therefore, it is in the interest 

of the community that the fate of these building be decided soon. 

Finally, the Internet has become an important source of information for prospective visitors, home 

buyers, and business people. The home page of the City of Mount Hope contains excellent 

information about the community’s history, a picture gallery, and links to businesses and public 

agencies, including the schools. Some of the links were only to an address, maps, and driving 

directions. While this may be sufficient information for a business, the site should provide direct 

links to the homepages of the community’s schools and to public agencies, if they maintain a 

homepage. 

Phase 2, Years 2-5 

The focus in the second phase should be on: 

• Development of Heritage 

- Establishment of historic district 

- Research heritage and oral histories 

• Promotion of Heritage 

- External marketing of community 

- Internal marketing of community 

The establishment of a historic district signals to visitors that Mount Hope is a significant site and 

serves a purpose somewhat akin to an official “assurance of quality.” By itself it is not sufficient, 

however. A number of additional, complementary steps are necessary to increase the likelihood of 

success. We suggest the following steps: 


Figure 6: City of Mount Hope Official Homepage 

(Background color, which should be dark blue, did not translate correctly from website) 


• Involve churches in training volunteers for non-church activities 

• Enforce local codes and ordinances 

• Finalize marketplace position 

• “Rollout” community events (festivals, farmers’ market) 

– Marketing to your community 

• Real estate marketing/event marketing 

• Partnership with New River Gorge tourism 

• Build your database/relationship marketing 

Mount Hope has active, strong religious communities. They have experience with training of 

volunteers. Maybe they would consider contributing their skills and knowledge toward training 

volunteers who can help Mount Hope realize its potential as a coal heritage site that remembers and 

celebrates the community’s industrial and social history. 

When the Community Design Team visited a back alley in Uptown, its members noticed that the 

backs of some buildings were in disrepair and had apparent code violations. We recommend that the 

city enforce existing codes and ordinances. Otherwise adjacent owners are penalized because the 

values of their properties and businesses are negatively affected and over time the appearance of the 

Uptown district will suffer and revitalization will become even more difficult. 

In this second phase the community must decide what its position in the market should be. In 

marketing, positioning is the technique by which marketers try to create an image or identity for a 

product, brand, or organization. It is the 'place' a product (or in your case, a community) occupies in 

a given market as perceived by the target market. Positioning is something that is done in the minds 

of the target market. A product's position is how potential buyers see the product. Positioning is 

expressed relative to the position of competitors. This applies not only to the heritage tourism 

market, but also to the retail and housing markets. Because housing prices and rental costs in Mount 

Hope are below the regional average, there may be opportunities to appeal to first-time buyers and 

young families. This might also help with bringing more children to Mount Hope, which down the 

road would help the high school’s enrollment. 

Once the market position has been decided, events that market the community to Mount Hope 

residents would be very helpful. A farmers’ market is an example of such an event. 

Real estate agents have great influence on the future of a community by deciding what properties 

they show to prospective home buyers. Thus, Mount Hope should build a relationship with real 

estate agents, invite them to visit the community, inform them of progress being made, and try to 

make interested in promoting the city to clients. 

One of the great potential opportunities for Mount Hope is the large visitor stream coming to the 

New River Gorge National River. To capitalize from this opportunity, we recommend the 

establishment of partnerships with New River Gorge tourism organizations. 

Finally, over time the community should build up a data base for relationship marketing so that 

individuals could be personally notified of upcoming events in Mount Hope. 


Phase 3, Years 6-10 

By the end of phase 2, some progress should be apparent. Thus, the efforts in phase 3 should be on 

building on successes and enhancing assets as follows: 

• Establishment of tourist and commuter based economy 

• Development of long-term strategic partners 

• Interior restoration of cultural assets 

• Enhancing a “Walkable” community 

Recommended steps to accomplish the above goals are: 

• Recruitment of fine dining restaurant, café, coffee shop, boutiques, accommodations, etc. 

• Establishment of additional anchors: 

– New Deal Heritage Center (Stadium Terrace) 

– National Coal Heritage Museum and Archives 

• Consolidation of the New River Company historical assets 

• Tourist focused marketing 

– Promotion of community 

– Create ownership for marketing efforts 

• Whose responsibility? Business association? 

These steps are necessary to create a destination that is attractive to tourists. Some of the facilities, 

such as coffee shop will also serve the needs of local residents and thus make Mount Hope a nicer 

place to live. A fine dining restaurant will do the same, except that people will frequent such a place 

less regularly and it therefore needs to draw from a greater number of potential customers to make a 

profit. Tourist traffic, by creating a larger customer base, can help make services available that 

otherwise would not be viable in Mount Hope. However, it takes effort, planning, and marketing to 

turn Mount Hope into a tourist destination. To achieve the goal, the community must come together: 

the city, the business community, religious communities, and past divisions must be overcome. 

Figure 7: Stores in Uptown. Note the appealing display in front of the store on the left 

(Curvature of street is caused by panoramic view. In reality the street is straight.) 


ENTRYWAYS TO MOUNT HOPE 

Randy Steiner 

In this section we are looking into entrances to Mount Hope because these are the locations where 

visitors form their first impressions about the community. 

Figure 8: Entrance to Mount Hope off Mountaineer Expressway (Route 19) 

Exit at Route 19, Georgia Pacific 

plant in the background. 

Signs at stop sign. This is where 

propose placing a welcome sign. 

Traveling on Pax Avenue, encountering 

the first of the New Deal era 

homes. 

Take, for example, a traveler on the Mountaineer Expressway (Route 19) who sees the sign for 

Mount Hope. Maybe his curiosity is raised by the announcement that this is the home of a famous 

football player, and he decides to exit. Shortly after exiting he hits a stop sign (Figure 8). The sign 

only advertises a pizza place; there is no more mention of anything related to football or of any sites 

of historic interest. At this point there is also nothing to visually connect the visitor to the town, 

which is not far away, but the visitor has no way of knowing how far. As the visitor drives along 

North Pax Avenue, he eventually comes past the New Deal era housing development to Main Street 

and, going west on Main Street, he will end up connecting with Route 16, which seems to be the 

more traditional entrance into Mount Hope. 

Signage helps create a sense of community and curiosity among potential visitors. They also help 

individuals who are already interested. Signs provide information the people who live here, activities 

and events, businesses, and sites of interest. By contrast, the absence of good signage at the Route 19 

exit/entrance leading to North Pax Avenue leaves the visitor wondering. At night, the Georgia 

Pacific plant, with its lights, is a large, almost magical site, but because it clearly it is not a town, it is 

also confusing. Thus, a sign “Welcome to Mount Hope” or something similar would be helpful to 

reassure the visitor that he is on the right track. 

At that intersection at Route 19, we suggest a curved stone wall made of native stone from this part 

of West Virginia, maybe built by local masons, facing both directions. In other words, by facing both 

directions the wall will serve people traveling on Route 19 going in either direction. It will be a 

dramatic, beautiful stone wall with a logo, such as a coal symbol. The stone also harks back to the 

time when the community came together to build the high school football stadium with its beautiful 

stone work. 

As the visitor drives down the ramp toward Pax Avenue and the stop sign (Figure 8), there, 

obviously, Georgia Pacific has a sign. This would be another place where there is an opportunity for 

signage to promote businesses, social clubs, and attractions. For example, when on Main Street 

heading toward 16, there is a sign for the Lions Club and signs for the different churches, and as well 

as a sign advertising that in 1989 the Mustangs won the high school football state championship. I 


ealize that the exit off Route 19 is not the main entrance to Mount Hope, but given the number of 

travelers on this busy road, the community may want to consider improvements to the current 

signage to better promote the community, in general, and its businesses, activities, and attractions, in 

particular. 

Figure 9: Locations of signs discussed in text (red marks on map) and exit on Route 19 

The New Deal era public housing development looks attractive and, I thought, well kept up. The 

housing is plain and gave me the impression of homeliness, and a nice sense of town. Although I 

was driving late at night and it was dark, the homes seemed to be well lit and well maintained. Two 

things, however, struck me as an architect. As car come into town with their headlights on, the 

family in the first house gets those lights shining into their home all night long. And not only that, it 

is as if the cars are entering this house when they enter Mount Hope. 


Figure 10: Proposed welcome sign, Maple Fork and Pax Avenue at Route 19 exit 

Maybe this is a good place (see photo on the right in Figure 8) for a “Welcome to Mount Hope” 

sign. This would alert travelers that the about to enter the city and the sign would help shield the 

home from car lights. Planting a holly tree, which is an evergreen tree, would provide additional 

protection against car lights shining into the home and complement the welcome sign. It also would 

make the home seem more attractive. Thus, it could serve more than one purpose. There could also 

be a low stone wall. There is no need for a big stone wall, but a small wall would repeat the theme 

that was first established at the Route 19 entrance/exit and could contain a flowerbed. A theme can 

tie the community together. The first one is a big stone wall, and the second is a smaller stone wall. 

This would send a consistent message and the inhabitants of a home would get more privacy and a 

good night’s sleep. 

The visitor is now entering downtown turning onto Main Street, traveling south. There are no signs 

giving directions to the community center in the YMCA, the Coal Heritage Museum Library, the 

high school, the stores, or any of the historically significant buildings and sites. Except for the sign 

on the New River Company office building that identifies it as a registered historic site, there is also 

no interpretative signage. 

Now we are coming up Pax Ave on Main Street, and we found a delightful variety of signs there, for 

example, the wood burner sign with the symbol of the Mustang that lights up. So, there are different 

signs serving different purposes. The community does not to have to limit itself to stone signs. This 

is a wonderful wall-mounted sign. It adds a charm to this community. Among other signs that we 

liked were the old painted sign for the AIDES Department Store (see Figure 4) and the Bon-Bon 

signage. These are just delightful. 

Coming to Mount Hope from Route 16 there is an ideal entryway. This is what architects and 

landscape architects dream of, an entrance to a town covered with trees, like a gateway that is 

reaching out. It is a beautiful entrance. There is a sign welcoming travelers coming from this 

direction (Figure 16), but in keeping with the others, and with having a theme, we suggest another 

sign. Maybe this could be the place for announcements about upcoming events, aimed at people who 

live in this area and region. These are individuals who already know your community, who may 

work or have family or friends here. This sign is to let them know when you hold your Family 

Heritage Festival or the Plant a Tree Day. Of course, the events on the sign would change frequently. 

Keep it current and take the information down the day after the event occurred. 


Figure 11: Proposed signage in town center-Main Street facing east at Pax Avenue 

Finally, it would be a nice when upon leaving the visitor would encounter a sign that says “Thank 

you for Visiting Mount Hope – Please Come Again.” This is a gracious community and ideally the 

signage should express the community’s character. 

Figure 12: Proposed farewell sign 

It may be worthwhile putting together an ordinance concerning signs and signage. Such an ordinance 

would establish a review board and decide what limitations the community wants. It would not 

discourage people from using all varieties of signs, in fact, variety enriches the community. But an 

ordinance can deal with the really big sign that has the potential of impacting the appearance of a 

whole street, not the individual sign posts or signs on shops. 


Figure 13: Proposed sign on Pax Avenue facing north and on Main Street facing east 

Figure 14: Mustang sign and adjustable sign at Community Center 


Figure 15: Signs of the Masonic Temple of the Bonbon 

Old, colorful neon sign of the 

Masonic lodge 

The sign of the Bon-Bon fits the style of the building and of the 

store. 

Figure 16: Current sign greeting visitors entering Mount Hope on Route 16 


Figure 17: Leaving Mount Hope 


THE GATHERING OF THE COMMUNITY AROUND THE CENTER 

Claudia Bernasconi, Susan Emerick, and Christopher Glover 

Figure 18: Sketch of area in front of community center (YMCA) 

Mount Hope Town Center: 

We chose the title “Mount Hope Town Center – The Gathering of the Community around the 

Center” to describe not only the community center (YMCA), but also the area around it. This area is 

a highly visible part of Mount Hope and close to its center. Mount Hope is laid out along a linear 

axis, which is Main Street and the center is the area that is separating Uptown and Downtown from 

each other (see Figure 19 on the next page). During the visit of the Community Design Team, the 

theme of the unity came up repeatedly. For some of you, it is already reality, but for some of you it is 

not. As has been stressed in the economic development section, the community must be united to 

succeed to successfully deal with challenges and opportunities. The center can symbolize that unity 

by bringing the parts of the community together. 

We know that how we design a space influences how people use and feel about and are attracted to 

that space. Design can help determine whether or not they feel they are welcomed by the space. In a 

public space, if people have opportunities to walk, meet, and sit down, then probably they become 

closer one to each other. This is what the Community Center is doing and what design can further 

enhance. 

One of Mount Hope’s assets is the architectural harmony of the buildings in the Uptown and 

Downtown areas. Everything ties together, and this is an incredible resource. You have Main Street 

with its retail stores (for example, see Figure 7 on page 13). The facades of these stores are relatively 

well kept up. They need to be preserved and renewed. Together they are a very important resource. 

In Mount Hope, walking is easy. While some of the sidewalks need to be repaired, everything is 

close and easily accessible. Thinking ahead to Mount Hope as a heritage tourism destination, a 

visitor can comfortably and safely walk down the street to look at the New River Company hotel, 

office building, shops, store, cross over to the New Deal housing, and then from there to the 

community center and the Uptown stores. The elementary school is also close by, and it possible to 

walk to the stadium, though this would be a little farther. In other words, Mount Hope is a walkable 

community, and this too is an important resource and something that can be further improved 

through design. 

As we mentioned before, the city is linear, and is build along Main Street. There is the separation of 

the city between Downtown and Uptown (Figure 19). The location of the community center 

(YMCA) and the abandoned school buildings is the center of the town which divides the two parts of 


the city. Because the school district no longer needs and uses the buildings, this has become 

available space and an opportunity to reshape the town center. Of course, what will occur on the 

school’s property depends on several factors, including money and legal issues about inheritance of 

the land. Thus, at this time, there is a lot of uncertainty, but it is got a prime location, highly visible, 

and therefore important to the community. It is right on Main Street and it has a commanding 

position, looking both uptown and Downtown. 

Figure 19: Location of study area. Large circle shows area with abandoned school buildings and 

small circle shows community center 

Our design proposal deal with two main activities: heritage and recreation. We want to use design to 

promote the community’s coal heritage and we want to enhance recreation opportunities for the 

community. To accomplish this we propose spaces for different activities. Specifically, we propose a 

Mount Hope Coal Heritage Park and Museum. Some others have talked about a National Coal 

Heritage Museum. It’s basically the same idea. It could be an outdoor-indoor coal heritage museum. 


The other space is the Town Square. We will present our ideas below. 

Figure 20: Potential land uses in town center 

Figure 20 shows potential land uses on this sensitive real estate. Open space would be preserved and 

renewed, and provide recreational opportunities to the community, as well as attract tourists to the 

core of the town. The Town Square would be in front of the Community Center. The Coal Heritage 

Park and Museum would be next door. 

Figure 21: View of site at intersection of Main Street and Pax Avenue. 

This view (Figure 21) needs to be addressed. The photographer is facing the library and the old 

school. This is the one of first things visitors see. Signage, as proposed in the previous section, 


would be helpful, but cannot mitigate the rundown look. 

The proposed town square would be in front of the Community Center instead of parking. We do not 

think that parking in front of the Community Center is attractive and that we need to find an 

alternative area for parking. The library could be the perfect visitor’s center because it really greets 

people, as shown in the photo in Figure 21. The building could be painted in bright colors. Parking is 

proposed in the back of the property (Figure 20). The rest of the property is dedicated to the Coal 

Heritage Park. 

The museum could be hosted in one of the currently vacant buildings. However, there is 

considerable uncertainty with this option, not only because of the reasons already mentioned, but 

also because at this time we know little about the conditions of the buildings. In addition, there are 

other possible locations for a museum in Mount Hope. However, the centrality of the location and 

the combination with a small park and possible outdoor museum make this a strong option from a 

design perspective. There is already a monument there, and others could be added. 

Figure 22: Proposed town square 

Current situation 

Proposed town square after redesign 

The Town Square could have seating. It could include a plaque commemorating the appearance of 

President John F. Kennedy. It would be a place where people could meet. The Community Center 

would stay and keep its current function. The museum might have a café or cafeteria. In such a case 

there is even an option of having a pre-school on the ground floor of the building because of the 

availability of food from the kitchen. And then there is the park with outdoor exhibits and sculptures. 

It could display machinery related to mining or statutes portraying miners, or to other coal and 

mining related activities. The Visitor’s Center would act as a focal point. The next page shows the 


current parking on the site (Figure 24), which demonstrates that there is space to accommodate a 

good number of cars. 

Figure 23: Map of town square 

Figure 23 shows a map of town square. The proposal would retain the current green area, and add a 

few trees. The paved area is bricks or brick pavers, not asphalt or concrete. There could be another 

planting bed, to create symmetry around the building to complement the existing building on the 

other side, while keeping the access to the ground door on the right of the stairs. And then there 

could be a small green area with a few benches. We think the benches should look toward the street 

and the town, more than toward the building. We also propose additional benches, to be recessed 

into the green even more and create a little area there. 


Figure 24: Current conditions on property (see area designated as parking in rear in Figure 20) 

Coal Heritage Museum and Coal Heritage Park: 

While this is just a proposal and while there are other potential sites, particularly for a coal heritage 

museum, the proposed site is centrally located and close to most of the important heritage assets 

listed in the economic development section of this report. As argued above, it is also a very good 

meeting point for the community. 

Figure 25: Site with recently (October 2006) burned building and with monument in foreground, 

before and after 


The photo in Figure 25 shows the school building that burned only a few days before the visit of the 

Community Design Team. It also shows the monument. If we can overlook the ugliness of the fire 

damage, it is a very good property. The contours of the land give it nice appeal with varying levels 

of height and the location is excellent. The cemetery entrance has nice stonework and some wrought 

iron gates and a chain link fence. It would be nice if the stonework could be continued, offering a 

more distinct border between the cemetery and this public space. 

The lower part of Figure 25 provides a sketch of what the area could look like without the burned 

building. There are people throughout who are looking at statutes or machinery representing the coal 

heritage of this area. Taking old equipment that was used in the coal mines and placing them in this 

park for people to interact with. There will also be a walking trail through the park that will tell 

Mount Hope’s story and the history of its mines. We want to tie this in with another walking trail 

that will be discussed later, and that will end at the Community Center. This will add to the attraction 

for tourists who come to visit Mount Hope. 

There is plenty of acreage of open space for a park. It is one of the biggest pieces of land some of the 

Community Design Team members have seen so close to a city center. In Figure 27 we present an 

example of a park bench. Just recess the benches off the main sidewalks (see illustration). Keep the 

current sidewalks. More circulation could be considered, but the existing sidewalks seem to be in 

decent shape, and there therefore no reason to tear 

Figure 27: Bench detail 

them up. But you could recess the park benches 

with the same material you decide to use in front in 

the town square. The benches would offer people a 

place to sit and relax without being in the way – or 

feeling that they are in the way. 

Currently, access to parking is behind the school 

buildings, but it is cut off by stairs that are where 

the burned out school is. If that building should be 

torn down, we recommend taking out the stairs and 

landscaping to create a sloped drive to the existing 

parking area behind the school. That is a very large 

lot. 

There are a few times when parking on the streets 

is tight and people park their cars on the sidewalk. 

This is shortening the lifespan of the sidewalks. If 

the parking is made more accessible, maybe it will 

alleviate this problem, as well. However, because 

of the terrain, the parking area is not visible from 

the street. But with good signage we can direct 

people to where they could go to park. And when you had an event in the park, there would be 

parking. And for those who cannot find parking there, since Mount Hope is a walkable community, 

they could park elsewhere and walk from there to the park. 


REDEVELOPING THE INTERIOR OF THE COMMUNITY CENTER 

Shari Park-Gates, Ned Eller, and Susan Emerick 

We were looking at the interior spaces of the building the houses the Community Center to study 

how they might be used. At this time we are not concerned about how things look. That is something 

that can be considered later. The building seems to be structurally sound and there are beautiful 

things that could be developed into wonderfully aesthetic spaces, but what needs to be addressed 

first are accessibility and fire safety. 

With these two concerns in mind we studied the upstairs spaces. We concluded that they cannot be 

left in their current state. Access to the main level of the building is a problem because there are too 

many steps to get to this floor. That is, the building is not accessible and we need to address this 

problem. The obvious solution is to put in an elevator, but the question is where. We drafted a 

solution that would put the elevator outside of the building. One of the reasons for this approach is 

cost. 

Figure 28: Upper level of community building. Proposed stairs drawn by hand. 

The proposed placement is in the front, behind the columns, close but not quite in front of the 

kitchen. This placement of the elevator there would make all floors accessible. 

Once we have solved the access problem, we have to deal with fire safety. On the third floor, we 

currently cannot do anything because we do not have sufficient means of egress to meet codes. So, 

we decided to go to the back of the space and perhaps add stairs to give visitors two means of egress 

from this floor. 


Once fire safety and accessibility issues are resolved, the community can decide how to use the third 

floor space. One of the ideas mentioned in meetings with community members was create an 

incubation space for new businesses. However, the rooms and spaces seem too small even for a new 

business. One could take two of the spaces and open them in between. It would not necessarily have 

to be for an incubation space. They could also serve as classrooms or art rooms, tutoring rooms, or 

other uses. We would allow for the possibility of opening and closing between the two spaces so 

they could either be very small spaces or a large area. Then there are some spaces that are currently 

open that we recommend to be kept as open group areas. We suggest conference areas, if the third is 

to be an incubation space and group areas to be used as educational spaces, as well. Restrooms 

would remain where they are. The existing stair would also remain where it is, and the area where 

the elevator is would become an open bay area. If it were an incubation or traditional office space, 

this could be the position for a receptionist or secretary to serve all businesses located on this floor. 

There is some design flexibility on the third floor, but these are some ideas for the third floor. 

Figure 29: Community building main floor. Note proposed elevator drawn in front of lobby and the 

additional stairs to improve fire safety 

On the main floor, although we are not changing the stairs, we are pushing them out a bit more, and 

might therefore lose the back row of seating in the auditorium. Our recommendation includes 


emodeling of the restrooms. We would leave the kitchen as it is, however, and we would also leave 

the big meeting room across the hallway from the kitchen untouched, except for aesthetics. There are 

some things that could be used to make that space more beautiful, but we will not address them here. 

On the lower level, one possibility is to move the library on this floor if (when) the current library is 

turned into a visitor center, as recommended in this report. Across from it, and a few steps down, 

there is a space that could be turned into a story space for children. The computer room could remain 

where it is. There is an office on this floor; this may end up being an office for a librarian or it could 

be a small reading room. The stairs will stay where they currently are, but there will be a fair amount 

of ramping to get down to the space that is being used art classes. Our recommendation would retain 

the use of this space for art classes. There are some and there is an egress. 

In the back of the ground floor we suggest the placement of the weight room. It is a bit like a maze 

when you get down there. With all steps going down and up, all the level changes, we did not feel 

that this could really become a viable public area, unless one would use some of the back entries. 

There was some discussion about a pre-school in this area, but it would be difficult to implement this 

in this space. Instead, we recommend that perhaps a pre-school could be located coal heritage 

museum, as suggested in the Town Center section. 

Figure 30: Lower level of community building 


STREETSCAPE ENHANCEMENTS 

Steve Allison and Donald Armstrong 

To promote the Heritage Tourism theme and the nostalgic feeling of the Uptown retail area, we are 

suggesting several types of streetscape enhancements. The addition of streetscape features, plants 

and green spaces would improve the characteristics of the retail area. These features will create a 

cooler micro-climate on hot summer days. More benches or seating areas located near the stores 

would create a more pleasant shopping environment. 

Figure 31: Proposed streetscape enhancement in form of Masonic Temple, before and after 

Figure 31 shows how a triangular area in front of the Masonic Temple could be enhanced by 

replacing a parking space with a planting area. We suggest using a non-fruit bearing Bradford Pear 

tree. Pear trees work well in cities. This is just one example: lining the streets with trees and 

repeating what the community already has along its “Millionaires’ Row.” There is a lot of foliage, a 

lot of green, and a lot of color greeting the visitor entering the town here. This should be continued 

in the retail area of Mount Hope. The same type of streetscape enhancements should also be 

extended into the downtown area of Mount Hope. 

Another recommendation would be to create an outdoor eating area in the retail district so people 

can stop there and become involved with community interaction and talk and meet with other 

people. On the next page (Figure 32) we present another example of how adding green space, and 

new light fixtures that could bring back the nostalgic look and feel of the Uptown area. Adding 

awnings to buildings would give the buildings an improved aesthetic value closer to their original 

appearance. 

There are some very good aesthetic characteristics in the buildings that could be enhanced. The 

upper stories of these buildings could be brought back to life by putting cascading flower terraces 

there or by bringing more color to the currently drab area. This will make for a more attractive and 

interesting view as visitors come toward the retail center from Millionaire’s Row. In spring there 

would be lush colors that would invite people to walk around. 

Another suggestion is the creation of an ice cream parlor. Restoring the town theater is another 

possible idea that was mentioned by community members. These could be places where young 

people would feel welcome when they are at the town center. After school, they could go to the 

Community Center, the ice cream parlor or the theater. 


Figure 32: Proposed street enhancement-flower bed, new lamp post, and awning 


TRAIL SYSTEM FOR A WALKABLE COMMUNITY 

Donald Armstrong and Jinki Kim 

In this part we are looking at the potentials for developing a trail system throughout the community. 

This would include developing a green belt along Dunloup Creek. The map describing the course of 

the trail is shown on the next page (Figure 33). One of the key features of the proposed trail system 

is that it would tie the entire community together. It would provide an even better walking 

environment. Part of the town is located in a flood plane, and as a long-term goal; that area could be 

converted into park and recreation space (lower center of Figure 34, marked in green and labeled). 

There would be enough room for some ball fields and other recreational facilities. As the trail moves 

toward the center of Mount Hope it would continue behind the public housing. It could very easily 

be linked to the public housing and to the town square discussed earlier in this report. The trail 

should be connected to these facilities. 

The proposed trail continues along the creek and then under the existing railroad bridge (Figure 35). 

Another branch of the trail would continue along Sugar Creek. It would extend to Granny Park and 

the football stadium. Over Sugar Creek there is a pedestrian bridge already in place. We propose 

extending the trail along Main Street to the elementary school. A proposal for a grant to develop a 

Health Recreation Trail around the elementary school has already been submitted. The Health Trail 

would tie into the entire trail system. The trail would continue along Dunloup Creek. Another branch 

of the trail would lead to the high school. Many of the important places and assets of the community 

would be linked by this pedestrian trail. Ultimately, the trail could continue further along Dunloup 

Creek to Thurman. This would only require two or three additional pedestrian bridges and would 

provide a nice pedestrian link from Mt. Hope to the New River Gorge National Park. 

In the center of town, Figure 36 shows how the Sugar Creek trail and the health trail around the 

elementary school intersect and connect along Lincoln Street. There is an existing pedestrian bridge 

across Sugar Creek. Then the trail leads to the library, which would become the visitor’s center, and 

then into the town square and the improved streetscape that this report discussed above. 

Figure 37 shows the existing pedestrian bridge. The trail could be very educational. There are 

wetlands (see Figure 37) and other things of interest along the trail that could be interpreted. To 

reinforce the coal heritage theme, we also recommend including historic mining equipment along the 

trail. 

In the high school area, there is a bend in the river. It would be best to cross that bend by adding two 

pedestrian bridges across the river (Figure 38). The trail could connect to the high school past the 

second bridge (Figure 38). 

This completes the trail system concept. While we think that the overall idea is sound, additional 

research is needed to determine the exact location of the trail as well as other details recommended 

in this section. 


Figure 33: Map of Dunloup Creek Trail System 


Figure 34: Park Area Detail 


Figure 35: Dunloup Creek Trail Connections 


Figure 36: Sugar Creek Trail’s Connection to Mount Hope Elementary School’s Exercise Trail 

Figure 37: Location of pedestrian bridge 


Figure 38: Location of Trail in Vicinity of High School 


Resources 

Meghan Stalebrink 

Grants: 

West Virginia Development Office 

http://www.wvdo.org 

This website has links to the following community programs: 

• Appalachian Regional Commission (http://www.arc.gov/index.jsp) 

• Economic Infrastructure Bond Fund (http://www.wvdo.org/community/eibf.html) 

• Flex-E-Grant Program (http://www.wvdo.org/community/FEG.html), which promotes leadership 

development and capacity building. 

• Governor's Community Partnership Grant Program (http://www.wvdo.org/community/gcpgp.html). This 

program potentially provides support for improving the community center, as well as other public 

buildings and facilities. 

• Land and Water Conservation Fund (http://www.wvdo.org/community/lwcf.html). This program lists 

trails among the eligible activities. 

• Small Cities Block Grant Fund (http://www.wvdo.org/community/scbp.html) 

Direct Advertising Grants, Division of Tourism, WV, (http://www.wvtourism.com/spec.aspx?pgID=112). 

This program provides matching grants of $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000, respectively, to eligible 

recipients. 

WV Division of Culture and History (http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/grants.html). This agency provide 

grants for the preservation, survey of historic buildings, and other activities related to preservation. 

The very informative application manual is available at 

http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/grantmanual02.pdf and contains useful links to additional resources. 

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation 

2920 Reynolds Road 

Winston-Salem, NC 27106 

336-748-9222 

Fax: 336-777-0095 

http://www.mrbf.org/index.html 

Assists people in the Southeastern US to build just and caring communities that nurture people, spur 

enterprise, bridge differences and foster fairness. The mission is to help people and places to move 

out of poverty and achieve greater social and economic justice. 

America The Beautiful Fund 

1730 K Street, NW, Suite 1002 

Washington, DC 20006 

202-638-1649 

Fax: 202-204-0028 

http://www.america-the-beautiful.org 

Grants, seed money, advisory services, and training sessions are available for innovative community 

projects that enrich the natural, historic, and manmade environment. 


Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation 

1400 Benedum-Trees Building 

223 Fourth Avenue 

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 

http://www.benedum.org/index.html 

Local foundation aims to encourage human development in West Virginia and Southwestern 

Pennsylvania through strategically placed charitable resources. 

West Virginia Consortium of Community Foundations 

West Virginia Grantmakers Association 

P.O. Box 985 

202 Main Avenue Suite 213 

Weston, WV 26452 

304-517-1450 

http://givetowestvirginia.org/ 

Network of the state's 26 community foundations and county funds working to build legacies in 

every West Virginia hometown. 

Other Financial Assistance Programs: 

Neighborhood Investment Program 

http://www.wvdo.org/community/nip.html 

The website describes the program as follows: 

Purpose: The Neighborhood Investment Program (NIP) increases charitable giving to local 

nonprofit organizations. The program allows 501(c)3 designated charitable organizations to apply 

for tax credit vouchers. These organizations distribute the vouchers to contributing businesses and 

individuals. By donating to approved NIP organizations, contributors can support their communities 

and earn credits to reduce certain West Virginia taxes. 

Though it is aimed primarily at social program, the NIP covers preservation and revitalization 

activities. 

Technical Assistance: 

West Virginia Development Office 

Main Street West Virginia 

1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East 

Charleston, WV 25305-0311 

304-558-0121 

Fax: 304-558-3248 

http://www.wvdo.org/community/mainstreet.html 

The following is a quote from the program’s website: 

Type of assistance: The program provides technical assistance to designated state programs that 

continue to meet the national criteria for recognition as Main Street communities. 

Purpose: The Main Street program uses a common-sense approach to tackle the complex issue of 

downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization, capitalizing on the history and the 

resources of the community itself. 

The website provides link to additional helpful resources. 


West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts 

Office of the Cabinet Secretary 

State Capitol Building Five, Room 205 

1900 Kanawha Boulevard East 

Charleston, West Virginia 25305 

304-558-2440 

http://www.wvosea.org/ 

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection 

601 - 57th Street 

Charleston, WV 25304 

304-926-0440 

Fax: 304-926-0446 

www.dep.state.wv.us/ 

State agency committed to protecting and improving the environmental quality of life for all of West 

Virginia's citizens. They are working to improve our water and air quality, resource recovery 

processes, waste management, abandoned mine land reclamation, and brownfields remediation. 

Heritage Preservation Services 

National Center for Cultural Resources 

Stewardship and Partnership Programs 

National Park Service 

1849 C Street, NW NC330 


202-343-9583 

e-mail: hps-info@nps.gov 

http://www2.cr.nps.gov 

HPS is a part of the National Park Service that helps citizens and communities identify, evaluate, 

protect, and preserve historic properties. Provides products, services, financial assistance, 

educational guidance, and technical information in concert with its partner state historic 

preservation offices, local governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations. 

(Source: http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/grantmanual02.pdf) 

Southern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center 

Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences 

Marshall University 

Huntington, WV 25755 

304-696-5453 

Fax: 304-696-5454 

http://www.marshall.edu/cegas/SBAC/ 


Institute for Public Affairs at WVU 

316 Woodburn Hall 

P.O. Box 6317 


304-293-5432 

Fax: 304-293-8644 

http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/ipa/ 

Research and service institute providing a broad range of activities in support of the people and 

government of West Virginia. 

Other Organizations and Resources: 

West Virginia Division of Culture and History 


Charleston, WV25305-0300 

304-558-0220 

http://www.wvculture.org/ 

This website includes links to State historic preservation office, State Museum, commission on the 

arts, archives and history sections, and the cultural center. 

West Virginia Division of Tourism 

90 MacCorkle Avenue SW 

South Charleston WV 25303 

304-558-2200 

Toll Free 800-CALL WVA (1-800-225-5982) 

http://www.wvtourism.com/ 

The division of partners with organizations to promote heritage tourism in local communities and 

provides matching grants to communities that want to advertise local tourist attractions. 

West Virginia Humanities Council 


Charleston, WV 25301 

304-346-8500 

Fax: 304-346-8504 

http://www.wvhumanities.org/ 

A private, nonprofit organization providing lifelong learning opportunities to the state's citizens. 

WVHC serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Preservation of Alliance of West Virginia 

P. O. Box 3371 


http://www.pawv.org/ 

PAWV sponsors an annual conference, newsletter, and workshops; it has a small web presence, with 

a series of good links. 


West Virginia Association of Museums 

The Cultural Center 



304-558-0220 

http://www.museumsofwv.org/ 

This statewide organization of museums sponsors an annual conference, newsletter, and workshops. 

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 

Old Post Office Building 

1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 809 


www.achp.gov 

This federal agency is responsible for coordinating and environmental reviews on prehistoric and 

historic sites and properties. 

American Association for State and Local History 

1717 Church Street 

Nashville, TN 37203-2991 

615-320-3203 

WWW.AASLH.org 

Publishes numerous books, videos, etc., related to all aspects of local history through its partner 

publisher, AltaMira. 

National Trust for Historic Preservation 

1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW 


www.nthp.org 

Membership, which is costly but it provides numerous resources to members. Membership 

information is available on the national trust's website. 

Preservenet 

www.preservenet.Cornell.edu 

Serves as an Internet guide to historic preservation resources. 

Mountain State Association of Bed and Breakfasts 

H. C. - 73, Fox 24 

Valley Hill, WV 26294 

304-339-6309 

http://www.wvbedandbreakfasts.com/ 

Links area of bed and breakfasts and helps others interested in starting them. 


Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology (IHTIA) 


P.O. Box 6305 

Morgantown, W. V. 26506-6305 

304-293-2513 

http://www.as.wvu.edu/ihtia/ 

The Institute has research material on history of oil and gas industry in West Virginia. 

Transportation Resources: 

National Scenic Byways Resource Center 

www.byways.org 

Part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a 

grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads 

throughout the United States. 

National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse 

www.enhancements.org 

Helps communities learn how to use Transportation Enhancement funds to revitalize the 

transportation experience in your community (ISTEA). Potentially, this could include funds for trails 

or scenic byways and thus apply to Mount Hope in the future. 

Peggy Pings, M.S. 

Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA), National Park Service. 

325-F Percival Hall 

P.O. Box 6125 


Phone: 304-293-3721 ext. 2446 

Fax: 304-293-2441 

E-mail: mpings@wvu.edu 

Ronald W. Eck, Ph.D. 

Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) 

Engineering Sciences Building 651C 

P.O. Box 6103 

Morgantown, WV, 26506-6103 

Phone: (304) 293-3031 ext. 2627 

Fax: (304) 293-7109 

E-mail: Ronald.Eck@mail.wvu.edu 

Website: http://www2.cemr.wvu.edu/~wvltap/ 

Provides assistance with transportation planning issues, particularly pedestrian traffic circulation and 

related parking issues. 


Tourism 

Promoting Tourism in Rural America 

http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/tourism.html 

Covers the major issues in rural tourism including agritourism, cultural/heritage tourism, ecotourism, 

planning, marketing, economic impact and more. It provides web links to more than fifty full-text 

"how to" information guides, manuals, and handbooks for assisting local officials, communities, and 

citizens involved in tourism development and includes a section of resources organizations. 

Heritage Tourism Program 

National Trust for Historic Preservation 

535 16th Street, Suite 750 

Denver, CO 80202 

303-623-1504 

Fax 303-623-1508 

http://www.culturalheritagetourism.org/index.html 

Provides technical assistance to help cultural and heritage attractions develop successful and 

sustainable tourism programs that will enhance communities for residents and visitors alike. The 

heritage tourism program has developed a series of how-to publications and programs for individuals 

and organizations that are developing heritage tourism programs. It serves as a national advocate for 

heritage tourism. The site contains links to other organizations working in heritage tourism. 

Summary 


This report is but a starting point. It contains ideas and suggestions, based on wishes and concerns 

expressed to us by members of the community. After the community has had time to consider our 

ideas, suggestions, and recommendations, it should decide which ones it has the desire and capacity 

to implement, and it should set priorities. As we indicated during our presentation to the community 

on Saturday, October 7, 2006, and again in this report, to the best of its abilities, the Community 

Design Team will continue to work with Mount Hope to identify resources implement ideas and 

realize projects. 

Contact Information 

Meghan Stalebrink, M.A. 

Community Design Team Coordinator 


P.O. Box 6108 


Phone: 304-293-4832 ext. 4399 

Fax: 304-3752 

E-mail: Meghan.Stalebrink@mail.wvu.edu

The Past Reflected in the Hopes for the Future - West Virginia ...

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