HISTORY OF THE MULLENS ECONOMY AND WHY RAIL EXISTS

Mullens was established in the early part of the twentieth century as a coal boomtown and although it prospered during those times it now has many vacant historic buildings that are in danger of being lost forever.  At one time grocery chain giants Kroger, A & P, and Piggly Wiggly had grocery stores in the City.  During this same period there were many other businesses that included two movie theaters, a bowling alley, two hotels, a hospital, a lumberyard, a wholesale grocery, two department stores, and a coca cola bottling plant in operation.  Additionally, five new car dealerships flourished representing Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.  None of these mentioned businesses are functioning today and lost forever are the structures that housed the two theatres, lumber yard and the wholesale grocery.

During mid century the region produced large amounts of coal from both deep mining and surface mining.  The need to move coal to market brought the railroad into Mullens and established it as a railroad center and was vital in the growth and existence of Mullens.  In 1950 the Virginian Railroad operated both steam and electric locomotive shops, a coal classification yard, and a lucrative local freight business that are no longer in operation due to streamlining of railroad operations.  These operations in addition to train crews, supervisory, and other supporting positions provided employment for over five hundred people.  Today railroad employment in Mullens has been reduced to a few dozen jobs. 
Declining demand for area coal and mechanizing of coal extracting methods has decreased the number of people needed to produce a ton of coal, substantially decreasing the job base.  Declining employment in coal mining and related industry in Wyoming County has resulted in a 29% decrease in population since 1980.  In addition to the declining coal business area merchants have been unable to compete with neighboring retail centers and it has been necessary for many to close.  Facts from the 2000 Census indicate the per capita retail per person spending in Wyoming County is $3918 compared to neighboring Raleigh County’s per person spending of  $10460.  The medium income is $23,994.  The unemployment rate in Wyoming County fluctuates between six and twenty percent.  Overall 25% of all people living in Wyoming County live below poverty level and 30% of children live below the poverty level.  Eighteen percent of persons living in Wyoming County over 25 have not attained the tenth grade and an additional seventeen percent do not have a high school equivalency.  Yet the county has one of the highest graduation rates in the state and produces students well qualified for college.

The Mountaineers began settling Wyoming County in the early part of the nineteenth century and lived off the land.  Just after the Civil War industry recognized the value of the vast coal and timber reserves and began taking ownership of the land.  Land holding companies still own about eighty percent of the County.  After the arrival of the Virginian Railroad in 1906 the timbering industry prospered along with the development of the coalmining industry.  Merchants and business people moved into the area to provide the needs of the coalmining and timbering industry.  The railroad needed hundreds of employees to drive its trains, maintain its tracks, and care for its locomotives.  This divers group of Mountaineers, Timber Cutters, Coalminers, Railroaders, and Merchants produced a unique and sweet culture that is in existence today. 

The culture, the heritage, the beautiful mountains and the streams are embedded in those of us that were born and grew up in the coalfields and we take pride in the fact that we are West Virginians.  We, the people, have banded together and founded RAIL to take on the challenge of developing an employment base that is not dependant on a single unpredictable industry so our children can live here and perpetuate this unique culture.
 
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAIL-HISTORY AND FUTURE 
RAIL was conceived with the thought that all issues contributing to poverty in the southern Appalachian coalfields of West Virginia had to be addressed to be effective.  A huge responsibility without having a sponsoring organization and only volunteers to develop the six initiatives identified as needing attention to have a positive impact on poverty.  With good support from a young energetic Mullens City Commission, the Wyoming County School Board, and other entities RAIL began operation in 2001 with a lot of enthusiasm and creative ideas but little capacity to get things done.  The volunteers, in their search for resources, discovered the AmeriCorps program and their first VISTA began community development initiatives on September 1, 2002.  The task was to transform a no longer needed elementary school building into a community center and business incubator.  The facility had been ravaged by the community’s most devastating flood in its history a year earlier.  Although mud had been removed from the building, the first floor ceiling had been replaced, and some painting had been accomplished, much still was required before the facility was fit for human habitation.  Several thousand sq ft of floor tile had to be replaced, scrubbing, painting, and many hours of drudgery was still needed.  RAIL discovered another valuable resource in the AmeriCorps*NCCC program and a team was soon hard at work improving the livability of the old school building that had taken on a new look and name.  The facility was named Mullens Opportunity Center or MOC.  A year later RAIL was awarded their second AmeriCorps*NCCC team that continued efforts to make the MOC more conducive to community activities.  During the third year of operation RAIL was awarded its second and third VISTA. Since its founding, eleven AmeriCorps VISTAS have provided capacity to develop the various RAIL focuses as detailed elsewhere on this website.  Additionally one AmeriCorps*NCCC Team developed Tater Hill Park into a very pleasing asset to the City of Mullens.  An additional NCCC team worked to rehab a family residence in the area.  Through a partnership with United Way, and LifeBridge the West Virginia AmeriCorps program has cost shared six AmeriCorps*State to staff the RAIL award winning Adult Literacy program.  Volunteers continued the management and building of the Corporation until an Executive Director was hired on February 1, 2007 as the first staff position paid by RAIL.

RAIL AMERICORP’S SERVING TO BENEFIT WEST VIRGINIA AND THE NATION
West Virginia Corporation for National and Community Services officials that have been instrumental in building RAIL-- Christy Bailey, Kathleen Roedershimer, and Judith Russell

AmeriCorps VISTA Serving and shaping RAIL-
Rocky Blankenship, Itmann, WV
Brian Henry, Selmer, TN-University of Tennessee Martin
Steve Clark, Indianapolis, IN- University Indiana, MA Ball State University
Dan Legried, Moorhead, MN - Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN
Scott Lasher, Chicago, IL - Case Western Reserve University, JD (Two years Peace Corps)
Megan McMillan, Conway AR - Hendrix College
Sam Petsonk, Morgantown, WV - Brandeis University
Brittany Bauer, Houston, TX - University of Texas (AmeriCorps*NCCC Alumni)
Ole Bye, Chester, VT - Virginia Intermont College
Rachael Candler, Mullens, WV
Josh Fangmeier, Hebron, NE - Hastings College

AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA; Serving and shaping RAIL - Dr. Allan Comp
Suzi Zakowski, Marietta, OH – Ohio State, WVU (VISTA Alumni)
Kelly Jo Drey-Houck, Madison, WI-University of Wisconsin
Allison Reddington, New York, City – Dartmouth College
Intern; Hanna Wheeler, Morgantown, WV - Oberlin College

AmeriCorps STATE-Serving and shaping RAIL-Jean Ambrose, Christine Spaulding, LifeBridge
Dan Legreid, Moorhead, MN - Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN
Sherry Palmer, Lexington, KY – University of Kentucky
Sarah Joslin, Vancouver, WA; Washington State University,  MA Appalachian State University
Lori Lespinasse, Mullens, WV; RAIL GED Program
Gerri Harrison, Wyoming County Resident
Melinda Young, Wyoming County Resident
Debra Hale, Mullens, WV

AmeriCorps*NCCC-Serving and shaping RAIL-Rich Smith and Fran Campion
AmeriCorps*NCCC Team #1 from the Washington Campus
AmeriCorps*NCCC Team #2 from the Washington Campus
AmeriCorps*NCCC Team #3 from the Washington Campus
AmeriCorps*NCCC Team #4 from the Washington Campus
In keeping with AmeriCorps policy, all RAIL programs are directed toward fighting the root causes of poverty.  Focus is toward preparing the community to attract jobs,  building a job force through healthy lifestyle, adult educational initiatives, and attracting industry that will support a job force.

OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING INFLUENCE ON THE BUILDING OF RAIL
Improving regional environmental conditions is one of the six components of the RAIL revitalization plan.  In 2000 Dr. Allan Comp of the Office of Surface Mining in Washington, DC founded a program ( http://www.accwt.org/index.php ) to assist communities that suffered environmental damage from the coalmining industry, prior to 1977 regulations, that required restoration.  Through the OSM program an AmeriCorps VISTA, as well as technical advice, and other support is provided to help build Watershed Associations to deal with stream pollution.  RAIL formed a partnership with OSM and in November 2002 Suzi Zakowski became the first RAIL/OSM VISTA and the seventh in the OSM program.  Since that time Kelly Jo Drey-Houck and Allison Reddington have served as RAIL/OSM VISTA’s.  Kelly Jo built the Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association (http://www.ugwawv.org) into a non profit corporation that is now overseeing sewer installations and other projects aimed at clearing streams of dangerous pollutants.  Allison researched, submitted and was awarded a $200,000 Brownfield Assessment grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to study best uses of polluted Abandoned Mine Lands (AML).  The end result of this process will be to transform AML into an asset that benefits the community.  In this respect the OSM is helping by addressing Economic Development another component of the RAIL mission.  In Addition to three OSM VISTA’s the OSM program has provided RAIL two summer Interns that have provided valuable assistance to RAIL and OSM initiatives.  On the strength of the Brownfields assessment Wyoming County was awarded the very prestigious Groundwork USA designation.  The Office of Surface Mining has indeed been a significant factor in building the RAIL Corporation.