Discover Smith Mountain Lake
SUMMER 2016
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48
As the grand old battlewagon California settled
into the mud of Pearl Harbor on the morning
of 7 December, 1941, she may well have been
carrying coal in her belly that had traveled
through Huddleston, on its way to the Norfolk
Naval Station from the Pocahontas Coal Fields.
Yes, Virginia, it was
that
Huddleston –
our
Huddleston. During both world wars,
Pocahontas coal was prized by both the
American and British navies for its clean-
burning, “smokeless” properties. Prior to the
attack on Pearl Harbor, the
California
herself
had visited the Norfolk Naval Station… but if
she had been laden with Pocahontas coal on
that fateful morning, it had most likely been
acquired second-hand.
The old Virginian Railway worked full-time
to feed the energy demands of coal-burning
enterprises in a newly-industrialized world,
thanks to the vision, financing, and perseverance
of one man: Henry Huttleston Rogers. At the
time of his death, just six weeks following the
completion of his “biggest little railroad in the
world”, Rogers was one of the 25 wealthiest
men in the world, and the right-hand man of
John D. Rockefeller.
It is for this great industrialist that our own
little hamlet of Huddleston is named. At one
time, the thriving little railroad town was a
stop along the Virginian Railway. Today, the
remains of old buildings still stand along the
tracks, in mute testament to that history.
“Huttleston” was the maiden name of Henry
Rogers’ mother; the spelling had been changed
from the original “Huddleston”, a common
English surname. Rogers’ son and namesake
reverted the spelling of his middle name back
to the original, and this may account for the
present spelling of the town’s name.
Although there are many Huddleston families
in this area and elsewhere that trace their
lineage back to England, none is directly
related to Henry Rogers, although they
probably share common ancestors. Those in
our area are descended from English who
settled here originally, whereas Rogers traces
Next Stop:
Huddleston
by Tim Ernandes
