“In the West Virginia hills there must be ten thousand stills And they found the biggest one outside of Bluefield. A little peaceful country town, nothing else for miles around, I saw whiskey run like water down through Bluefield” I can thank my dad for causing me to think of that old Stonewall Jackson song almost every time I roll past the Mercer County line into Bluefield, WV.

Our travel itinerary took us into Bluefield for a visit to “nature’s air-conditioned city, where the summer spends the winter.” The city earned the nickname of “Air-Conditioned City” for the historically mild summer temperatures. Beginning in 1938 and continuing forward, the Chamber of Commerce has given out free lemonade on days that the temperature crosses over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I guess this history alone would make Bluefield a pretty cool town to visit (feel free to groan at that one) but there’s more to the story.

The foundation for what would become Bluefield began in the 18th century when two families, the Davidsons and Baileys, settled in the area and built a fort along Bluestone River. In 1882, the families sold a good amount of their land as Captain John Fields began building what would become the Norfolk and Western Railway. Norfolk and Western would be a large benefactor of the coal boom in the 1890s and early 1900s and Bluefield would become the local hub.

The bituminous coal of the Pocahontas Coal Fields were considered by many to be the finest in the country during this time and the only way to transport it was by railroad. Like many surrounding communities, Bluefield’s population exploded during the coal boom growing from 1,775 people in 1890 to 21,506 people at the peak in 1950.

The rail yard was the main driver of this growth and the city grew with the fortunes of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Houses and businesses sprung up all over the city in the early 20th century with demand was so large that you can still see the large houses built on tiny lots all crowded together. The city became among the first in the world to have large high-rise buildings and was nicknamed a “Little New York” for the activity and ethnic diversity.

Bluefield became full of shops and an active nightlife that seemed destined to make it someday rival Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was not meant to be as the Great Depression came along in the 1930s and almost wiped out the city financially. A series of fires in the downtown area burned down much of the high-rise buildings during this same time period.

Bluefield had a resurgence around the start of World War II as coal was in much demand to make steel which was vital for the war effort. In fact, the importance of Bluefield rose so greatly that it was rumored a target of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich in Germany on their hit list for an air raid by the Luftwaffe. Emergency drills were conducted during this time to have the city prepared in the event of an air strike.

The end of World War II and the continued shrinking of dependence on rail traffic led to a decline in the fortunes of Norfolk and Western which put the squeeze on Bluefield. Amtrak closed its Bluefield station during the 1980s further dampening the local economy.

The population of Bluefield began to decline in the 1960s and has continued to drop through the census of 2010 to a population of 10,447. I worked at the Mercer Mall in Bluefield in the 1990s and the future at that time looked very bleak as the downtown area was riddled with empty, dilapidated buildings. Housing was also in soft demand resulting in rock bottom prices for real estate locally. At that time, I didn’t hold much hope for a rebound and expected Bluefield to potentially turn into a ghost town.

I was happy to see on this trip that many of the buildings in the worst condition have been leveled. There has also been a concerted effort to beautify the downtown district by having murals painted and adding other artistic and landscape additions. Bluefield is most certainly still in a state of transition but what looked impossible at one time looks very possible now. The area is accentuating their historical aspects such as the 12-story tall former West Virginian Hotel, which is still intact and used as the West Virginia Manor Home.

They also have a section dedicated to telling the history of the town at a park which has been constructed in an area that once was home to some of the worst buildings. The old city hall building has been converted into an arts-friendly structure and their are several antique stores in the area. Bluefield still has work to do but they’ve definitely come a long way in resuscitating this vital city in Appalachia.
