Elkhorn Saloon, 1883 3 - a photo on Flickriver

Finally! These are the last photos of Pocahontas! It has taken forever, it seems, to complete this series of a most enjoyable three hours in a fading Virginia town.

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[This is a set of 7 photos] Close to the north end of Centre Street, across the street from the Town Hall are the remains of 2 of the once 27 saloons that flourished in Pocahontas, despite Tazewell County, Virginia, being a legally "dry" county. Both the Elkhorn Saloon (1883) and Silver Dollar Saloon (1894) sported partial metal front facades--the parapet showing the dates of the structures (on wood in the case of the Elkhorn and metal for the Silver Dollar), the cornice and the window crowns. My assumption is that the metal portions are Mesker products. Both saloons show subtle ornamental touches (terra cotta decoration, window crowns, a diamond pattern in the cornice, etc.) that mark the use of decoration in the most mundane of commercial structures of the time.

The top part of the Elkhorn Saloon is quite symmetrical in design and consists of a peaked metal pediment/cornice with brackets and a circular decorative motif between the brackets. Below is a section of brick then a course of what appears to be ornamental terra cotta in squares filled with a leafy pattern. This same ornamental device appears in the vertical side pilasters and below the windows. Four windows are displayed on the upper level, all 2/2 with metal crowns and wooden frames and with what seems to be stone sills. The bottom level has undergone alterations, probably in concession to modern (at the time) tastes--a mixed assortment of window shapes, two sections of glass block, a black portion that could be a material such as vitrolite, and some sort of siding in long rectangular sections. The structure had two doors, the recessed one on the right leading to the saloon proper and the door on the left leading to the second level.

The Silver Dollar (1894) has a metal pediment/cornice with two brackets and two end pieces. There are three panels, two filled with an elongated diamond shape. Below this are several courses of brick and probably terra cotta mixed. In two places the bricks are exposed, exposing building techniques. The windows are placed symmetrically in the upper level, 2/2 with wooden frames and hooded window crown. The windows extend vertically to the metal division between the two floors. The bottom level has apparently undergone remodeling at one time with a different brick pattern and type. There's one narrow glass pane and two doors, each with three horizontally oriented panes.

This structure is part of the Pocahontas Historic District, listed on National Register, added November 3, 1972 with identifying number 72001418.
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Virginia's first coalfield boom town, Pocahontas (in Tazewell County, Virginia) boasted of its prosperity with numerous metal-front stores; however, much has changed since its height of prosperity. At one time Pocahontas had 27 saloons! Two structures I was most interested have disappeared, gone perhaps 10-12 years ago. Today a sense of decay permeates the town, the remaining buildings with altered front facades at street level; however, the upper level is often intact. Centre Street runs north-south. Business structures stop at Church Street in the south. One block north is the cross street, Saint Claire Street (I'm using the spelling of the street sign). The one block of West Saint Claire is a treasure for the architecturally curious with a town hall-opera house and a bank. Continuing south for a couple of more blocks, the west side of Centre Street is relatively intact. The east side has two empty blocks where buildings have been demolished.

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Taken in: United States / Virginia / Pocahontas (show map)

Taken on: October 27, 2018

Tags:

Pocahontas

Tazewell County

Appalachia

Centre Street

saloon

business

commercial

Elkhorn

Silver Dollar

1883

1894

metal

Mesker

facade

parapet

cornice

bracket

ornamentation

decoration

design

pattern

motif

subtle

terra cotta

brick

window crown

molding

window hood

frame

sill

symmetry

circle

leaf

pilaster

modern

window shape

vitrolite

glass block

moderne

doors

Pocahontas Historic District

National Register of Historic Places

coal

coalfield

boom town

decay

abandoned

deterioration

atmospheric

historical

past era « less

Sets appears in: • 340-359 Views • Architectural Metalwork more » • Windows • Elkhorn and Silver Dollar Saloons, Pocahontas • Pocahontas, Virginia (assorted) « less

Groups appears in: • Views: 300 • National Register of Historic Places more » • Southwest Virginia • Mesker - Storefronts of America • 300 Views Unlimited « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX120 IS, f/4.0, 1/200 sec, 22.4mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	22.4mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	PhotoScape
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