Nellis' location is in northern Boone County about 25-miles from the State Capital. Boone County officials have applied for historic status for the town and expect it to be placed on the National Register in the Spring of 2000.
The history of the community and the people who made it a model coal mining town, is rich in the traditions of life in the southern coal fields and tells the stories of struggle and achievement. The Nellis Coal Company had begun operations in1917 under T.E.B Siler and Matthew Slush, who actually
named the town after their close friend, Frank Nellis, the editor of the Mount Clemens Independent Newspaper. The company constructed a wooden tipple, a two-story boarding house, six four-roomdwellings, and three three-room dwellings. A branch of the C&O Railroad was laid to Nellis and
Brush Creek to Transport the coal. On June 16, 1920, the land was purchased by ARMCO from Siler and the Coal River Mining Company. Operations started July 1, 1920, and the first shipment of coal left the Nellis mine on the last day of 1920. Armco transferred employees from their mine at Martinsburg,
Ohio, and Pennsylvania to Nellis.Minter Homes Corporation of Hunington was hired to construct much of Nellis. In 1924, a steel tipple was completed. Storage tracks were built, new machines and equipment purchased. Nellis became a model coal mine town. A brief description of the community follows:
Company Store: This store became the life-line for the residents. Supplies were shipped to Nellis daily by train. In the beginning of the town's history, it was the swiftest and most reliable source of travel. This facility was a modern miracle that replaced the old crossroads store that had
previously served the community. At the company store, residents could purchase the latest products avaliable: tires, tacks, groceries, clothing, hardware, furniture. It was said if they didn't have it in the store, they could get it for you.Purchases made at the company store were paid for with Armco scrip, however. Your money was no good here! The post office was located in the store building,
where it remains today. The basement served as a stockroom. The five company offices were in the building on the right side, and about 20 people were employed
here. There was a butcher shop in the store that contained a modern, sanitary counter and two enormous refrigerators. The basement was also a stock room and
boasted a refrigerating plant with the capacity to produce an average of 6600 pounds of ice every 36 hours. *Armco Association Building: This massive brick
building was completed in 1923. It also served as a community center. A number of activities were held here. Later in the town's history the building was
referred to as the theater building. The building had a large, well furnished meeting room which doubled as a place for social gatherings such as dances and
club meetings. The meetings of the ARMCO Association, a mutual benefit organization of the miners primarily paying sick and death benefits, were held here.
First aid training classes were conducted here by the Safety Department. The theater comprised the middle section of the Association's building. Movies were
shown here every night except Sundays. It seated around 300. The doctor's office was on the left side of the building, and, later on, the Union Hall. On either
side of the theater were a confectionery shop. There was a pool room on the side with the confectionary. *About the Armco Association: On Feb. 22, 1922, 87
employees signed an agreement to work under the terms of the Association, which became the bargaining agent for the purpose of promoting the general welfare of the
workers. The company supported this effort one hundred percent. J.C. Miller, manager of the Ashland Division. H.C. Jepson, general supt. of mines, and S.R. Rectanus
worked to get the organization started, and, according to the Armco Bulletin April 1924, they "every possible concession to provide for better living and working
conditions." The men named above were charter members, and Matthew Spencer became the first president. The Association began its active existence by asking for the
reopening of the mines (the organization took place during the period when the mine was shut down) at a wage scale that would make the mine cost of mining the coal
competitive. The mine reopened and the employees also won the right to improved living conditions. The employees were promised a club room to hold their meetings, as
well as a social center. This is how the Armco Association building came to be built. The association's constitution and by-laws provided for weekly benefits in the
amount of $6 per week for a period of 39 weeks for incapacitation either by injury or sickness - subject to regulatory conditions. Operating under a separate name was
the Nellis Burial Association. Dues were $1.00, which were collected each month. This covered the funeral expenses of any member or a member of his immediate family.
The association took charge of the funeral and made all the arrangements. In 1924, the first attempt of the United Mine workers of America to organize the mine failed.
When the miners called a strike, ARMCO Management called a meeting and told employees of the many benefits derived from being a member of the Armco Association, such as
low cost of living and all the benefits they had living in a Model Coal Mining Community, pointed out they had agreed to work cooperatively in the Association, and insisted
there was no need for a union. ARMCO made it known, according to the company bulletin, that unless the union was defeated, they would close the mine and have the employees
move. Many black workers and some of the foreign employees refused to work without a union and left the mine. This initial organizing effort occurred two years
after the infamous Battle of Blair Mountain. The Nellis mine remained non-union until July 1933. The downtown section of Nellis was laid out in the form of a semi-circle
facing the railroad. A little park was built in the center of the town. Medical care cost each miner $2.00 a month. With this, the company hired a doctor and a nurse.
Dr. Owen Poling was hired as the resident physician. In 1926 the population of Nellis was 900; there were 80 autos; 133 houses in the town, 40 brick and the remainder
wood. Two passenger trains a day: one in the morning and the second in the evening. Coal trains ran night and day. For 10 cents, one could travel from Nellis to Ridgeview,
or Nellis to Brushton. *Nellis Grade School: Built by ARMCO, the school was completed in the Spring of 1924, and donated to the Boone County Board of Education when the mine
closed. There were five teachers in the beginning. The Armco Association helped augment the salary of the teachers, which were hired by the company. A stone wall was built
around the school by the WPA. The original school was built at a cost of $12,000. It had five rooms and housed grades 1-8. One of the first principals was R.W. Williams. It
was of the bungalow type, constructed of red bricks. The town was progressive in many areas, and company officials organized a night school, taught by Tom Hager, coal inspector.
Until the Nellis school was constructed, many students attended school at Easley. Some attended school at Danville. Others went to Nellis Junior High School. Later about 40
of the children of employees who lived at Fork Creek attended the Nellis School. The teachers in the beginning came from out of state, and everyone had degrees. Company
officials wanted the best for their employees! In the September 1927 ARMCO Bulletin, this report was made: "Mr. C.M. Holmes, Merchandise Store manager, having been elected
President of the District Board of Education, has secured the services of Rev. Hugh Smith as principal of the school. Mr. Smith comes highly recommended from Virginia and will
act as principal of the school and pastor of the Nellis Community Church. New teachers at Nellis are Mrs. Ernest Miller and Miss Marjorie Maxey. Another forward step is the
addition of a Junior High School to our educational facilities, as, up until this year, all high school students from Nellis have had to ride 16 miles to Danville to attend
School." *Nellis Community Church The Nellis Community Church was for many years the sole place to worship for the residents. It was not typical of the type of architecture
prevalent at that time in Boone County, and this is one of the things that make it unique still today. The church's role in the community was an important one - it served as a
social center, house of worship, and held the funerals of many. The church itself was built by the Armco Association with help of a donation of the land and an undetermined
financial contribution from the company. The worship-section of the church held from 185-200 people. There is a full basement that at one time contained restrooms. The
building had magnificent stained-glass windows, a piano and organ. It was white stucco, and the enormous bell in the tower could be heard all over the valley. It was non-
denominational. The ARMCO Bulletin, dated September-October 1926, had this to say about the church; "Sitting on a terrace on the left of the store and Armco Association
buildings is as pretty a little church as one would want to see. It was built by the Armco Association plus a donation from the company. Here may worship Catholic and
Protestant, or Mohammedan for that matter, if there were any in Nellis, or any other creed, for it is strictly non-denominational and may be secured by reservation by any
religious sect. It will accommodate 185 persons and is decidedly a monument to the Nellis Armco Association." Rev. Hugh Smith became pastor in September 1927. The
Presbyterian organization became involved when ARMCO gave the building to them after the mine closed in June 1955. This was a common practice of companies in those days.
The church remained a place of worship until early 1966. A letter dated March 17, 1966 from Troy Floyd, Jr., superintendent of Boone County Schools, to George Oliver, a
church youth worker, explains that the BOE agreed to accept the lease on the Nellis Church at $30 per month. Apparently, the building ceased to have any direct connection
to any religious organization in the early 1970's, after Armco deeded it to the Board of Education to be used as a remedial classroom and for kindergarten. The church
continued to be used by the school system until a new school was completed at a cost of $612,343 in March 1980. Although it was used by the school and the PTA as a storage
area and occasional meeting place for PTA officers, the building was for all practical purposes not used from the time the school was completed until present. Fortunately,
heat and electricity have remained in the building. *Club house: This building, too, was constructed with brick and located on the second terrace facing the store. Twenty-
two persons could stay here. It was famous for its big, comfortable sitting room and huge fire place. Residents were served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everyone dressed
for dinner. Some called it the "Bachelor's Club." Rooms were of the dormitory type. There were several bridge clubs in the community and they played at the clubhouse on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was a formal dance every Saturday, usually with a band from Charleston providing the latest entertainment. The club room was 20 x 60 feet, and
a pool room about the same size. *Second Terrace: The section of the town reserved for the management was the second terrace. Located here were the Store Manager's Residence,
Cashier's Residence, and the Superintendent's House. The surrounding communities, as well as many Nellis residents, referred to this as where the "Big Wheels" lived. Many of
these houses are still standing. Nellis had its own water system, which consisted of two deep wells, pumps, cypress storage tanks and water hydrants. The initial construction
cost was $17,000. After the mine closed, the citizens of Nellis formed a private corporation to manage the Nellis Water Works. Citizens agreed to pay $5 a month to have public
and sewage disposal. Elmer McClure managed the water works and was paid for his service from the monthly fee charged to the citizens. This continued until the early 1980s when
the Coal River Public Service installed a new water line in the Nellis area. *The company owned and maintained a golf course, which was located on Brushton Hill. It was a 9-hole
course that also featured two tennis courts, large picnic shelter, and a modern shooting range. This was the site of many company-sponsored events. *The tipple was located near
the mouth of the mine. Also located here were the supply store, other operating buildings, the bath house and locker room. *Parks: Nellis had 2 small parks. One between the theater
building and the store and the other one in the triangle in front of these two buildings. Steve Genesse cares for the parks, the church and school grounds. *A section of the town
known as Bricktown was built in 1924. This section has boardwalks. *Hunkie Hill was the area located above the tipple that was reserved for the town's foreign residents. *John's
Hollow, located about 1/4 mile from the main section of town, was constructed for the blacks. This area had its own community center and church. *Brick laboratory was built that
sampled and analyzed the rich coal. Flush toilets were introduced in 1932. They replaced the old Kaustine Chemical Toilets, installed in the original building of the houses.
*Baseball: Very popular in the early coal mining days. Nellis had a super team that competed against such teams as Maxine, Dartmont, St. Albans, Martin ARMCO, Ashland, Madison,
Ramage, Seth, Dorothy, etc. The games were attended by several hundred people. The community and the baseball team rode passenger trains to many of the away games. Famous early
players, Windsor Eagan, Joe Harry and his son John. John played for the St. Louis Cardinals. In his book, Memories of a Model Coal Mining Town, Joe Tagliente wrote: "Living
conditions were the very best. Every house had electric lights, water at the back door, and indoor sanitary toilets; some had bathrooms." *Activities for the whole community
included dances that drew people from surrounding towns. There was an entertainment committee, a first aid association that was also for recreational purposes. the first president
was J.M. Marty, mine superintendent, and the instructor was Dr. Owen Poling. Women and children had first aid teams, and the two Nellis mine teams competed in competition. There
was a Mine Foreman's Club, and they held their meetings in the club house. Many dressed and dined as if they were in New York. *The first Annual ARMCO Safety Day and Picnic was held
on August 1927. This was nearly always a highlight of the year for the residents. In Nellis, five first aid teams competed within the company itself and with other first aid teams.
The mines shut down on this day, which was usually held near Labor Day. The activities grew and changed somewhat as time went on. Hay rides, riding on fire engines, pie eating
contest, etc. Clowns, pinning diaper on baby. There was beauty contest, benefit suppers, holiday bazaars. The First Aid Association was charged with accident prevention. J.W. Marty,
mine supt., was first president. All employees were required to take training. A small brick building was constructed near the drift mouth and labeled a First Aid Hospital. In 1927
a company nurse was hired. Ida Bell Adams was the first one. She was affectionately known as Nurse Adams. She divided her time between the doctor's office and the first aid hospital.
The Masons were active at this time, as were the Boy Scouts. On July 29, 1924, a special election was held and bonding for a road in the Peytona District was passed - with only six
votes against. The bond would bring in $25,000 to construct a new road into Nellis. The contract provided for grading approximately 6 miles of road. In the years to follow, the road
would connect Route 119 which is presently Route 94 coming south form Marmet and Route 3 south of Corridor G which is also 119 south of Charleston. The road was eventually treated with
a coat of gravel in 1935. In March, 1928, the Safety Post, the Nellis newspaper, debuted. Each house had a coal house next to it. For those who lived on elevated property, the coal
was delivered by a slide directly to their homes. Between 1922-1929, Armco built a brick power house, machine shop and railroad shop up Stone Branch to No. 2 mine at a cost of
approximately $40,000. The rail line was extended from the main line of the Brush Creek Branch, which was owned by the C&O Company. The steel tipple was built in 1924. Improvements
to the lighting and water systems, and boardwalks were built in Bricktown. Telephone service was provided by the purchase of one-fourth interest in a line owned by the Brush Creek
Coal Co., the Bradley and Easley Coal Co. In May 1928, the mine produced 36,000 tons. A cleaning plant was built in 1930 at Stone Hollow and that increased production. 1935 -
mechanization programs were in full force. Jeffery loading machines, mining machines were purchased. Mack Dodd was local president in 1943. He went to work at a sawmill in Virginia
in 1927 when he was 12. *The November 6, 1943 mine disaster. The explosion at the No. 3 Mine was the worst coal mining disaster in the history of Boone County. Nine miners were killed
immediately, and two died several hours after they were rescued. The impact of the explosion was so severe the clothing was ripped from the bodies of the victims. Ironically, had it
not been for a recent strike, the casualties could have been much higher. The miners had walked off the job over a wage dispute, but it had been resolved two days earlier. The night
crew was preparing to work the first shift since production resumed. Forty men, all experienced veterans of the mines, made their way to the portal that evening. Normally there were
about 260 miners working at the mine, but the full force hadn't returned at this point. Disaster struck at 7:00 p.m. Details come from those who did not work that Saturday, and from the
investigators. There were no survivors. The Nellis No. 3 Mine was described by the State Bureau of Mines as a drift mine operating in the No. 2 Gas Seam. It was in accessible through
three drift openings and one slop. The slope, which was used as a second escape way, but could be used in an emergency. Part of the intake air came in at this drift, the other three
drift openings mentioned previously were also used for intake airways. The seam itself averaged 48 inches thick, all of which was mined. The roof was slate and according to state mine
officials, was of "a very dangerous character. Slips, horse backs and kettle bottoms are encountered frequently. The mine is worked on the room and pillar system. The rooms being driven
to a depth of 300 feet. Pillars are left standing. Two hundred foot barrier pillars are left between the main entries and the first rooms." The actual mining of the coal itself was done
utilizing short wall machines and shot with explosives. Three loading machined were used to load the coal directly into the mine cars and four chain conveyors emptied onto a belt line, which
in turn emptied into the mine cars. No coal was loaded in the mine by hand at this time. Roof support came from posts, half-headers and crossbars. The No. 2 Gas Seam was labeled by state
mining officials as high volitable and the dust was described as explosive. Rock dust was spread throughout the mine and the working faces were rock dusted daily by hand. The haulage ways
were rock dusted twice a year by machine. The last rock dust report showed that 1.27 pounds of rock dust had been applied per ton of coal mined during the first nine months of 1943.
Sprinkling systems were used where conveyors discharged onto the belts. All the electrical machinery was open type, except for the loading machines. The No. 3 Mine was opened in 1921.
Mines No. 1 and 2 had been opened previously. There were monthly safety meetings for mine foremen occasionally. First aid training was given to all employees in the spring of 1942, and
the annual safety meets had been held since 1927. West Virginia University conducted job training classes on an annual basis. The disaster originated in Section H on 24 North off 2nd left
off 20 North in No. 38 room. The force of the explosion was contained in this section. At the time, 11 men were in Section H, 1 in Section E off 30 South, 11 in Section C off 1st Northwest
off 3rd Left, a trip motor crew of two men, serving Sections E and H, who were pulling a trip of loads out of Section E between 23 and 29 North, a supply motor crew of two men on 20 North who
were on their way outside after a safety lamp, a main line track crew of two men at mouth of 20 North on 4 West and an electrician on 3rd Left at Mouth of 20 South. Section H consisted of five
rooms, all of which were driven off 24 North. There were being driven toward and at right angles to 25 South off 11 West, a part of the abandoned section of the mine that had been idle for
eight years. At the time of the explosion, the loading machine was working in No. 36 Room; the timber crew was timbering in No. 36 Room; and the cutting machine crew was at the face of no. 38
Room. The supply crew, consisting of a miner whose last name was Woodruff and a miner whose last name was Tyo, had just delivered a load of steel to Section H and put it behind a trap door.
Woodruff then sent Tyo, the brakeman, to ask foreman William Gunnoe, if the steel had been placed where he wanted it. The foreman asked him to go out and get another safety lamp. They went on
down the entry to where Woodruff was and told him that they had cut through into 25 South and would not shoot the cut of coal until they returned with the safety lamp. The supply crew started to
the outside and had traveled about 3,000 feet when they felt the force of the explosion. The 11 victims of the Nellis explosion were all family men, with a total of 49 children between them. Two
of the wives, Nellie Vincent and Dorothy Miller, were expecting. One victim, William Workman, had two sons in the service and William Gunnoe's son Willie was missing in action. None of the men
were new to the coal mines - the youngest victim was 23 and the oldest was 63 - they were all too aware of the hazards to be encountered hundreds of feet beneath the mountain. Another of the victims,
Lawrence Vincent, had been seriously injured earlier and John William's son Edward had been killed in the same mine. It is clear that these men had no illusions as to the dangers they faced on a daily
basis. They lived in a coal mining community, and came from families where most of the men eventually went to work in the mine. Some of them had followed their fathers into the mine, while still others
had already taken their sons inside. It was not uncommon for brothers, cousins, in-laws, or fathers and sons to work alongside each other. It is also easy to understand how the explosion's aftermath
had such far-reaching consequences. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the lives of every individual living in Nellis, working at the Nellis mine, or any former resident or employee was changed
to some degree by the explosion. The mine closes. In the early fifties, production began to decline. The once high production of coal began a steady decline. The Nellis Mine officially closed on
June 30, 1955 and just as rapidly as ARMCO moved into Nellis, they moved out. ARMCO sold their houses, the buildings on main street and other major buildings to the Byron Corporation of Boston. The
Byron Corporation repainted some of the houses, rewired their electrical systems, installed hot water heaters, furnaces and made other necessary repairs. After completing the repairs, they began a major
campaign to sell the houses and buildings. The Byron Corporation renamed Nellis Apron Village, and advertised the community as a model community, one that anyone would be proud to live in. The
corporation reopened the store, theater, and barber shop, etc., and began to sell the houses. The five-room dwellings sold for $4,500 if they had been repaired and for $3,500 if they hadn't received
any repairs. The four-room dwellings were sold for $3,000 ($2,500 if they hadn't been repaired). The large houses that housed the superintendent and company officials were sold for $9,000. The houses
in Bricktown were sold for $3,500 if repaired and $2,500 if they weren't. Many houses that had been deserted and the target of vandals sold for as little as $200. The company store was sold for $15,000.
After selling most of the houses, the Byron Corporation forgot most of its promises and advertisements made after they purchased the town company and moved out. The theater, barber shop, and confectionary
closed. The houses that weren't sold were destroyed by vandals. The building that housed the theater, barber shop, etc., was burned by vandals on October 31, 1983. Instead of moving into the Fork Creek
area that contained 9,500 acres of coal reserves, ARMCO purchased the stock of the Colcord Coal Company at Montcoal, Raleigh County, on December 21, 1942 and moved there. Three operating mines were on the
Colcord property at the time of the purchase - the No. at Montcoal in the Dorothy Seam; No. 2 at Stickney in the Dorothy Seam; No. 4 in the Hernshaw Seam at Montcoal. The No. 7 Mine at Montcoal was opened
on July 5, 1955, in the No. 2 Gas Seam. ARMCO purchased the stock and assets of Princess Dorothy Coal Company, Twilight, on August 1, 1954. One mine in the Dorothy Seam was known as the Robin Hood Mine. On
June 27, 1997, the Boone County Commission, through its Boone County Historic Landmark Commission, erected a monument to the victims of the county's single worst coal mine disaster, which occurred November 6,
1943, at the Nellis #3 ARMCO mine. At this time, the commission announced plans to acquire the church from the coal company and support a project to restore it for an archives. On July 6, 1998, the Boone
County Commission appointed Charlotte Halstead director of a project with the goal of restoring the church and eventually housing an archives of the coal mining town. The Boone County Commission acquired the
deed to the church in October 1998 from the Boone County Board of Education.
