The Abney Coal Camp is located in the Winding Gulf Coalfield of southern West Virginia. In 1921, Abney Coal Camp was constructed in Raleigh County on a ledge approximately 500 feet over the Piney River. The community began with 50 houses. Originally the Abney Coal Camp and mine were named Phillips, West Virginia. The town was named for William Phillips, who was the Pemberton Coal and Coke Company’s president. Years later, the name was changed to Abney by the post office. According to an article posted in the Raleigh Register on November 11, 1921, Camp Phillips would be “one of the most attractive coal operations in the coal fields." The story said the 50 bungalows were sturdy and would be supplied “with the purest water, piped from a mountain spring in a three-inch galvanized pipe." The water was to provide good fire protection for the camp. Today, the field that once housed a one-room school house is a lot for trailer homes and the Abney company store is a private residence. There is not Census information available specifically for Abney, but Wikipedia stated that Abney is part of Coal City which had a population of 1,905 as of the 2000 census and 98% white residents. The town is still very much alive.
http://westvirginia.topcities.com/ABHistory.htm http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/gulf/abney/abney http://www.coalcampusa.com/
