POCAHONTAS, VA (WOAY) – The Town of Pocahontas receives more than $370,000 for improvements to its Exhibition Mine and abandoned mine lands.
The funding comes from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. The town has previously received funds in previous years for the revitalization of abandoned mine lands, and this is the latest grant to go along with that effort.
According to Tarah Kesterson, the Public Relations Manager with the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, much of the funds will help with tourism, which the town has seen great strides in recently.
“We’ve heard that Pocahontas had a record year in 2020, even with COVID,” Kesterson said. “So we’re seeing that these projects are working. And plus these are sites that we want to see cleaned up and reclaimed.” 16 seconds.
The Pocahontas Mine was among the first in southwest Virginia, and coal mined there helped support the U.S. Navy during both world wars.
