— America's Byways —— Coal Heritage Trail — National Coal Heritage Area —

The importance of the railroad to Mullens and the surrounding
communities can be traced back to 1906 when the Deepwater Railway
Company expanded into the area. After some negotiations, early settler
Andrew Jackson Mullins agreed to sell right-of-way through his property,
provided a railroad station was built near his store and the Deepwater
company engineer lay out a plot for the town. The railroad was completed
to Mullens in November of that year, setting the stage for the growth of
not only the town, but for the entire Upper Guyandotte River area. The
town served as the center of commerce for dozens of nearby coal towns
including Itmann, Otsego, Caloric, Mead Poca, and Tralee,
as well as the timber industry. Ritter Lumber, which had
operations in surrounding states, was located in Maben just
north of here. By 1960, the population grew from the original
family of 12 to 3,544.

In 1907, the Deepwater merged with the Tidewater Railway
forming the Virginian Railroad, which had a large presence in
Mullens. With the railroad now in place, the stage was set for
the coal boom. The massive deposits of coal in the area were
mined and delivered to the coast of Virginia for distribution
throughout the world.

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The Richest Little Railroad in the World
Mullens Historic District
Mullens
Itmann Company Store
Mullens
Virginian Railway Motor Barn
Virginian Railway Station
Mullens
Itmann
Raleigh County / Wyoming County

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