Spruce, West Virginia

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Spruce, West Virginia
Unincorporated community
Spruce, West Virginia
Coordinates: 38°27′24″N 79°57′21″W / 38.45667°N 79.95583°W / 38.45667; -79.95583Coordinates: 38°27′24″N 79°57′21″W / 38.45667°N 79.95583°W / 38.45667; -79.95583
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Pocahontas
Elevation 3,868 ft (1,179 m)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 304 & 681
GNIS feature ID 1555697[1]

Spruce is an unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States. Spruce is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) southwest of Durbin.

History

Spruce was settled in 1902 along Shavers Fork of Cheat River. The principal industry in the area was logging, and later coal mining. In 1904 the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (later known as Westvaco) built a pulp mill nearby. The new community adjacent to the mill was also named Spruce, and the original settlement was renamed "Old Spruce." The Greenbrier and Elk Railroad served the town.[2]

The pulp mill in Spruce closed in 1925, and the equipment was moved to the company's paper mill in Luke, Maryland. Subsequently the town declined and it eventually was abandoned.[2]

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Spruce, West Virginia
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sparks, Richard. "The Ghost Town of Spruce." Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association. 2008-11-28.


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