This is a coal camp in western Mercer County where the American Coal Co. operated the Crane Creek mine in a 72" section of the world famous Pocahontas No. 3 seam. Unlike other coal
camps, multiple coal companies mined coal simultaneously at McComas. The Thomas Coal Company had a mine there, and also the Pocahontas Fuel Company owned the Sagamore mine in the Pocahontas No. 11 seam. Pocahontas Fuel Company was
eventually bought by CONSOL, and they were still mining coal in McComas as late as 1981. Coal mining in McComas has now ceased, however, and the preparation plant was demolished during 1991-94.
An interesting style of coal camp housing at McComas. Above shows the camp when it was new, below shows the camp today. (Courtesy VT ImageBase, housed and operated by Digital Library and Archives, University Libraries; scanning by Digital Imaging, Learning Technologies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
One of the few things that remain from the mines at McComas is this electric shop.
As people have moved away from McComas, the Methodist Church has been abandoned and fallen into disrepair.
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