PINEVILLE, W.Va. — Once a gathering place for miners and families on the Guyandotte River, a vintage curb-service restaurant, service station, and boarding house is attracting the attention of ATV entrepreneurs looking to offer tourists an authentic experience.
The retro landmark near Pineville is filled with mid-century kitchen and service station items, complete with oak-paneled walls and tiled restaurant floors. Long known as McKinney's Restaurant & Service Station, the business complex served miners, travelers, and residents of central Wyoming County from 1957 until 2018.
History near the Hatfield-McCoy Trails
McKinney's Restaurant opened its doors at the height of West Virginia’s coal boom. Built of steel-reinforced block and concrete on a block-and-stone foundation, the business started as a curb-service restaurant on WV-10, quickly expanding into a full-service diner, automotive repair shop, and boarding house.
Willie and Audra McKinney, its founders, lived on the first floor alongside the restaurant, while rooms upstairs were rented to miners who commuted long distances to the area’s coal camps. The couple also ran W.M. McKinney’s General Hauling, which hauled coal and supplies for the surrounding mines.
“It’s more than just a fantastic building—it’s a window into how people lived and worked here during the coal era,” said David Sibray, listing agent with Foxfire Realty who specializes in tourism and historic properties.
“You can still see the knotty pine paneling, the vintage signage, and even the commercial kitchen equipment. It’s like stepping back in time.”
For decades, McKinney’s was a social hub, Sibray said. Families stopped in for cakes and sandwiches, miners swapped stories over curbside beer after long shifts, and travelers paused for gas and food. Even as the coal industry declined, the restaurant continued to operate, finally closing in 2018.
West Virginia tourism
The property is well-positioned to serve southern West Virginia’s rapidly growing tourism economy. On WV-10, the National Coal Heritage Trail, the property adjoins the Guyandotte River Water Trail and sits just seven miles from two access points to the Hatfield & McCoy Trails, one of the largest off-road trail systems in the country.
The Hatfield & McCoy Trails sold more than 100,000 permits in 2024, Sibray said, with more than 90,000 permits purchased by out-of-state visitors. Many riders are looking for authentic local experiences—lodging, dining, and gathering places with a story to tell.
“This is exactly what ATV riders are looking for,” Sibray said. “They don’t want cookie-cutter hotels and restaurants; they want places that feel connected to the culture. McKinney’s offers that in spades.”
Tourism numbers reinforce his point. More than 300,000 visitors travel to Twin Falls Resort State Park each year, just 15 minutes from the property. Within a 40-minute drive are R.D. Bailey Lake, the City of Beckley, and the historic coal town of Welch, West Virginia. An hour’s drive leads to Winterplace Ski Resort or the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which alone draws more than 2.6 million visitors annually.
Authentic local ingenuity to last
The restaurant and service station were built with coalfield toughness. The walls are steel-reinforced masonry, supported by 13-inch I-beams salvaged from mining operations. Nearly 90 percent of the interior is clad in one-inch-thick knotty pine paneling, hauled by the McKinneys from North Carolina. A commercial stove and four operational coolers remain in the kitchen, and vintage details—from curb-service windows to retro signage—remind us of its mid-century heyday.
“This complex was built to withstand anything,” Sibray noted. “That’s one reason it’s still standing so strong after nearly 70 years. Whoever takes it on will be working with a solid structure.”
The .78-acre property is zoned for commercial use, and available utilities include public water, electricity, and multiple telecommunications providers. Real estate taxes in 2023 totaled only $172, which is always a pleasant surprise to out-of-state investors.
Sibray said his brokerage hosted two back-to-back showings last week, and in both cases, the customers were impressed by how well-built the building appears, though so far, none have moved toward making an offer. "However, given the growth of ATV tourism, I don't think that will take long," he said.
ATV trail real estate market growing
The region’s tourism potential is poised to expand even further with the ongoing construction of the Coalfields Expressway (WV-121), which will soon connect the area more directly to Interstates 64 and 77. A new exit is being built within five miles of McKinney’s.
“Access is everything,” Sibray said. “With the expressway coming through, we’re already seeing new investment. Properties like this one are going to be in demand—not just for ATV tourism, but for anyone who wants to tap into the area’s growth.”
A significant part of its commercial potential, Sibray said, the property’s value lies in its authenticity. “Tourism world-over is about more than scenery—it’s about authenticity, which is especially important in this world of artificial intelligence. McKinney’s tells the story of coal miners, of family enterprises, of the way communities survived and adapted. That’s something you can’t replicate.”
Along the Guyandotte Water Trail
The sale of McKinney’s marks a new chapter for a building that has anchored New Richmond for generations. Whether it becomes an ATV outfitter, a retro diner, a bed-and-breakfast, or even a riverside event space, its future seems tied once again to people on the move—just as it was in 1957.
“West Virginia tourism is thriving because people are seeking out the real thing,” Sibray said. “McKinney’s is the real thing. It’s a piece of coalfield history waiting for its next life.”
Sibray said that, in addition to the burgeoning ATV tourism market, the establishment of the Guyandotte River Water Trail is having an impact, as the river courses along less than 100 feet from the store, although the building is located outside the floodplain.
McKinney’s Restaurant & Service Station
Location: 5236 River Rd., New Richmond, West Virginia
Listings at: Homes.com and: Land and Farm
- Acreage: 0.78 acres (surface rights only)
- Built: 1957, steel-reinforced block & concrete
- Past uses: Restaurant, service station, boarding house
Tourism access:
- 7 miles to two Hatfield & McCoy Trail access points
- On the Guyandotte River Water Trail
- 15 minutes to Twin Falls Resort State Park
- 30 minutes to R.D. Bailey Lake
- 40 minutes to the Beckley metro area
- 1 hour to Winterplace Ski Resort and New River Gorge National Park
- Regional draw: 300,000+ visitors annually
Potential uses: Restaurant, outfitter hub, ATV lodging, event space
For more information, please contact David Sibray at 304-575-7390 or via email at dsibray@gmail.com.
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