The word environment is one with a simple definition but a unique meaning to anyone who stumbles across it. For some, the word evokes images of lush jungles with thick trees, and for some, a city’s general ambience. When Appalachian Voices received an Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our Community Strong project, the five participating communities demonstrated that, for rural towns, the idea of environment can be represented by a single place that inspires community.

Appalachian Voices is working with five towns in the seven coalfield communities to successfully model resiliency in the face of economic difficulties, climate disasters and other hurdles by helping them create shovel-ready projects in their regions, develop toolkits for other communities to replicate these efforts and produce meaningful, community-led projects for future funding opportunities. We’ve held the first and second of three listening sessions in Clinchco, Dante, Dungannon, Pennington Gap, and Pound, Virginia. In each of these sessions, community members reflected on their environments and gave feedback that highlighted how important the concept of place in rural communities is.

Pound — The Pine Mountain Tunnel

If you walk along the Red Fox Trail on Pine Mountain, part of the rolling Cumberlands that separate Virginia from Kentucky, you will read historical signs that explain how life differed along this path many years ago. However, the importance of the relics that remain in that space are clear when speaking with Pound residents.

“People are still interested in learning about the history of the Pine Mountain Tunnel,” said Pound resident Debbie Hale. “Many local folks have heard stories about their fathers and grandfathers who helped bore through Pine Mountain from both sides. The tunnel is unique in that it connects Virginia to Kentucky. Tourists are already stopping by to see the portals in both states!”

This excitement around the Pine Mountain Tunnel came up often in the Community Strong listening sessions when discussing the town’s assets, and this old, mile-long tunnel will help to create something new. Pound has also received a Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia grant that will fund the creation of a monument in Pound focused on the types of labor that built the community. Pound residents were quick to cite the tunnel as a symbol of that labor to the artists — noting the symbolism of the connection of the two states, the labor that the tunnel’s construction demanded, and the work made possible by the materials brought in through that tunnel.

Currently, artists Dana Jo Cooley and Johnny Hagerman are working to envision the monument, and in each iteration of their design, the tunnel is featured to celebrate the pathway to Pound forged long ago.

Pennington Gap — Leeman Field

At each of the Community Strong listening sessions, attendees are asked to list assets that currently exist in their communities. For Pennington Gap, the main asset was unanimous: Every group listed Leeman Field as an important element of their town.

Leeman Field provides access to the Pennington Gap Greenway, a walking trail that follows the North Fork of the Powell River. Additionally, Pennington Gap residents cited the numerous possibilities for games and activities offered by the parks’ amenities. The park also boasts ample opportunities for public events such as light shows, fireworks and picnics.

At public meetings discussing the importance of the park, multiple residents highlighted the park’s versatility. Aging community members can improve mobility on the flat walking path, while school-aged students can participate in pickleball or tennis, and there are plenty of benches and tables for formal and informal gatherings at the scenic park.

Currently, town leaders are working with Appalachian Voices on various funding opportunities, including through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborate Problem Solving Grant, the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund, and U.S. Department of Energy’s Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies Prize, to imagine ways that the park could be even more of an asset, including the installation of solar panels on park buildings, nature-based flood mitigation solutions and electric vehicle charging stations in close proximity to Leeman Fields.

Dungannon — Dungannon Depot

In Dungannon, the importance of the Dungannon Depot was made clear by the fact that so many individuals gathered there for the listening sessions themselves. The depot, which used to serve as a stop along the Clinchfield Railroad, has been used for community events since the 1980s. When Dungannon community members were asked about community pillars, they spoke about the depot with descriptions such as “iconic,” “ideally located” and “available to everyone.”

The Dungannon Depot was recently rebuilt, and the town’s investment in the building has resulted in growing possibilities for community use. Further renovating the depot is a top priority for community members in Dungannon who produced such ideas for the building as hosting kids’ day camps, producing arts performances and creating a resilience hub, a space purposed to provide community members with essential needs during times of emergency.

The community cited fixes to the depot that would enable additional community use such as solar panels, improved lighting, winterization and facility upgrades. 

The community members who attended the Community Strong listening sessions also prioritized recreation, listing various Scott County trails, preserves and natural elements as assets of the town. Currently, Appalachian Voices is working with the administration of Dungannon to marry the two local priorities by planning a playground at the Depot, utilizing the space outside and hopefully attracting families to the growing community space.

Clinchco — Old Clinchco Post Office

Clinchco, Virginia, is a former coal camp that hosts an array of rich Appalachian history — evidenced by the large building frame that still stands as you exit Dickenson Highway and enter the downtown area. Coal camps were once recognizable in many ways — small churches, uniform houses and company stores, which tend to get remodeled or repurposed — but Clinchco’s shell of the former post office stands as a marker of unique labor history.

When the second round of Community Strong listening sessions was hosted in the Clinchco Community Center, individuals focused on old buildings, citing various spots across town that could stand to be remodeled or demolished. However, when individuals spoke about the old post office, fond memories seemed to outweigh the interest in demolition.

One Clinchco resident suggested that the Old Clinchco Post Office could be turned into a museum or Virginia landmark, preserving old history and promoting historical education. Another community member noted that beautification on the old grounds of the post office could attract more visitors and clean up the downtown’s overall appearance.

Concerned residents had diverse lists of buildings that needed attention, but the Old Clinchco Post Office rose to the top of nearly every list as both an asset and opportunity.

Dante — Dante Depot

Like Dungannon, Dante was also a stop along the Clinchfield Railroad, a point of pride for the community members who attended the second Community Strong listening session. Like Clinchco, Dante was once a booming company town with the buildings that remain to prove it. And like Dungannon, the town’s historic depot has been put to community use.

In association with the Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia Tech, the Dante Community Association has completed plans to transform the depot into a fully functional building, which sparked ideas for community members.

Individuals who attended the session were excited to talk about opportunities for the depot to attract new business owners, offer resources for those in need, host events and even serve as a resilience hub to serve the community during an emergency with wi-fi/signal boosters and a generator. Ultimately, the ideas that circulated resulted in a vote to focus on new businesses in town, the vision that centered around the depot for many attendees.

Final Thoughts

As a result of the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving grant’s second Community Strong listening sessions, it became clear that, for the five communities in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia that have partnered with Appalachian Voices to conceptualize community projects, a single place in the larger region one calls home can represent decades of history, the changes that a community endures, and the future as these communities continue to evolve. These communities are as unique as they are similar — each anchored by a different place but also connected, whether that be by the Powell River winding between counties, a letter sent from the Old Clinchco Post Office, a tunnel forged between towns or a stop on the old Clinchfield Railroad.