Dickenson County Historical Society, Inc.

Dickenson County Historical Society, Inc. Privacy Type:
Open: All content is public. Directions:

At the traffic light at the intersection of Dickenson Highway (St. m. to 12:00 noon.

MISSION STATEMENT
To nurture and promote awareness and appreciation of local, regional, and Virginia history and culture and to identify, collect, preserve and manage materials related to local history and culture . . . Rt. 83) and Brush Creek Road turn onto Ralph Cummins Avenue. The Historical Society is located at 156 Ralph Cummins Avenue in the large, two-story, brick building. There is a sign

which denotes Dickenson County Historical Society. Our office is staffed by volunteers who open the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a. Appointments for other times can be made by calling the office at 276-926-6355.

04/18/2026

Don't forget our annual business meeting today. Come by and join us. Find out what we are about. Hope to see you there.

04/15/2026

NOTE: This is a long post, but please read it all. Thank you in advance.

Dickenson County Historical Society is planning to help celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States! Although not an official part of the national celebration, the Historical Society has planned at least three events to help preserve the participation of our county’s ancestors in the formation of the nation.

To honor the only known Revolutionary soldier buried in Dickenson County, two or three of our volunteers are willing to donate their labor to beautify the grave site of John Mullins. These volunteers are also descendants of Revolutionary John Mullins.

The fencing around the grave of “Revolutionary John” Mullins has fallen and needs to be repaired. Although it is planned to use as much of the existing fencing as possible, some parts of the fencing will have to be replaced. The flag at the gravesite also needs to be replaced. Permission has been obtained from the land owner for the Historical Society members to do the necessary repairs. Any donation to offset the cost of the repairs would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, the Historical Society is planning a genealogy workshop (or series of workshops) to assist in locating Revolutionary ancestors of our county’s citizens. Although no known Revolutionary battles or skirmishes were fought in the area now known as Dickenson County, almost everyone has an ancestor who fought for our nation’s freedom during that conflict. Perhaps, during this workshop, another Revolutionary soldier who may be buried in our county will be discovered.

During the workshop, access to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.com and other online databases will be provided. The Historical Society’s many resources will also be available. Some of those resources include local genealogy reference books, Dickenson County marriage licenses, local newspapers, and much more. Historical Society members will be available to assist those desiring to learn the basics of genealogy research.

Anyone wishing to participate in this event – from the beginner to the experienced – is encouraged to contact the Historical Society to help us determine if there is enough interest in this project to move forward. The time and date of the workshop, which will take place after July 4, 2026, will be announced at a later date.

Any funds received (beyond the cost of the above projects) will be used during the Historical Society’s 4th of July Military Tribute. This annual tribute honors those who have served or who are serving in the U. S. military and who have connections to Dickenson. Last year the Historical Society displayed over 1,000 photos of those brave men and women. In addition, military uniforms, medals, and other military memorabilia are displayed.

To learn more about any of these projects or to make a donation, please contact the Historical Society by phone at 276-926-6355, email at [email protected], or private message on Facebook.

Attached are copies of two photos from one of Dickenson County Historical Society's articles which appear weekly in The ...
04/04/2026

Attached are copies of two photos from one of Dickenson County Historical Society's articles which appear weekly in The Dickenson Star. The first photo is of Nell Owens, who sounded the Town of Clintwood's siren, and the second photo is the siren.

If you would like to see the complete article, please feel free to come by the Historical Society. The weekly articles are printed and bound in booklets entitled "Stories of Yesteryear" and are sold as a fundraiser for the Historical Society. Each booklet is approximately 90 to 120 pages.

04/04/2026

Dickenson County Historical Society will hold the annual business meeting on Saturday, April 18, 2028, at 1:00 p.m. at the Historical Society office located at 156 Ralph Cummins Avenue, Clintwood, Virginia.

The public is also invited. Members are encouraged to attend and bring a guest.

Light refreshments will be served.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 276-926-6355.

These two photos hang on the wall in the Dickenson County Historical Society building. The top photo is the original ar...
03/28/2026

These two photos hang on the wall in the Dickenson County Historical Society building. The top photo is the original archtech's rendition of what the Dickenson Memorial & Industrial High School (DMHS) was to look like. The bottom is a sketch of the DMHS building created by Chester Davis. The plaque to the left side hung in the old DMHS building honoring the 16 men from Dickenson County who died during WWI. To the left of the plaque (although not pictured) are photos of 14 of those 16 men. We are still searching for photos of the other two men. The Historical Society has just acquired the "date stone" which was placed over the front entrance doors to the old DMHS building. Come by and visit the Historical. It is much more than genealogy!

Needless to say . . . the Historical Society will be closed tomorrow February 3, 2026!
02/02/2026

Needless to say . . . the Historical Society will be closed tomorrow February 3, 2026!

This is a long post, but please read if you are interested in these books.Historical Society member, Dennis Reedy, has a...
02/02/2026

This is a long post, but please read if you are interested in these books.

Historical Society member, Dennis Reedy, has authored or co-authored three books relating to Clinchco, Virginia. The first book, which has become a collector’s item, was published in 1980. That book is no longer available. However, Dennis has given DCHS permission to photocopy and sell that photocopy to the public.

Since publishing that book, Dennis, along with his cousin Jeff Reedy, has co-authored two more books about the history of Clinchco:
Clinchco - History Of A Coal Camp and
Clinchco - History Of A Coal Camp Volume 2 – including Riverside, Steinman and Tenso.

Clinchco - History Of A Coal Camp (volume one of the newest two volume set) has sold out. However, anyone interested in purchasing Clinchco - History Of A Coal Camp (volume 1) can contact the Historical Society to be placed on a list to reserve a copy as Dennis is considering reprinting the book.

Volume 2 can be purchased now at the Historical Society. Also available at the Historical Society office is the photocopy of the original Clinchco History Book.

All three of these books are excellent genealogical sources of the families who resided, worked, or visited Clinchco. For more information, please contact the Historical Society at at 276-926-6355, or [email protected], or private message on Facebook.

The latest treasure found while going thru a recent donation at the Historical Society.Come by and visit with us to see ...
01/24/2026

The latest treasure found while going thru a recent donation at the Historical Society.

Come by and visit with us to see what you can find.

01/19/2026

Due to the cold temperatures, Dickenson County Historical Society will not open on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. We plan to open on Thursday, January 22, 2026, weather permitting.

01/16/2026

This post is copied from Jenni Fuller:

We won’t ever forget! On Monday, March 9, 2026, the 50th anniversary of the first Scotia explosion will be remembered in two events. First, at 11:30 a.m., a memorial gathering and moment of silence at 11:45 at the site of the former Scotia mine at Oven Fork. The first event will be brief and outdoors because of the uncertain weather that early March usually offers. The company that now owns the property welcomes attendees to revisit the site on that day. The second event, at 1:00 p.m., will be indoors. At 1:00 p.m., the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham will host a meeting that will examine the lasting impact of the tragedy and recognize the family members and mine rescuers who worked the explosions. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend. Also, feel free to share this far and wide.

01/15/2026

Due to inclement weather, Dickenson County Historical Society will be closed today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Stay in and stay warm!

Dickenson County Historical Society has a limited number of "Clinchco, History of a Coal Camp, Volume 2" by Dennis Reedy...
12/27/2025

Dickenson County Historical Society has a limited number of "Clinchco, History of a Coal Camp, Volume 2" by Dennis Reedy and Jeff Reedy. If you are interest, please contact the Historical Society at 276-926-6355, by email at [email protected], or by private message.

Address

PO Box 52, 156 Ralph Cummins Avenue
Clintwood, VA
24228

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 12pm
Thursday 10am - 12pm

Telephone

+1 276-926-6355

Website

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