The Mullens National Historic District is a federally designated historic district in Mullens, West Virginia, in eastern Wyoming County. It is also known as the Mullens Commercial Historic District.
Property owners who are developing in the downtown may be eligible for grants and tax credits to repair and maintain their properties.
History of Mullens
The district expanded, as many small towns in the region grew to meet the needs of residents of nearby coal camps and small communities. Unlike many other communities in the coal-mining region, which were built by mining interests, Mullens was built by independent developers.
The site of the city was settled in 1894 by Andrew Mullins, who purchased 69 acres around the junction of the upper Guyandotte River and its Slab Fork. Lumber and coal resources in the area were reported by Jed Hotchkiss in 1872, and by 1903, logging operations had attracted more than 250 residents to the vicinity. The first coal mine in the county followed in 1908. Mullens began to grow in 1912 as the Virginian Railroad extended its main line into town.
By 1915, Mullens resembled a Western frontier settlement, according to most historical accounts, which featured numerous wooden buildings. However, two fires and a flood in 1917 prompted the city to require that buildings be constructed of stone and brick. Many of these buildings were raised by the Early Brothers Construction Co., the owners of which were the descendants of Confederate General Jubal Anderson Early. The 38-acre district includes 95 contributing buildings built between 1918 and 1929.
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Notable buildings include the Highlawn Baptist Church, the Old Presbyterian Church, the Wyoming Hotel, the Bank of Mullens Building, the Masonic Hall Building, the Welch Apartment Building, the Old Hospital-Webster Apartments, the Smiley Department Store Building, the Piggly-Wiggly Building, and the Wyoming Theatre. The Norfolk Southern Locomotive Repair Shop Building was recently demolished.
Historic buildings in the district are eligible for grants of up to 50 percent and tax credits of up to 40 percent for rehabilitation and repair.
External Links
Nomination Form PDF
