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History · Stonega

Stonega dates to 1895, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1922 on.

1895founded
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Stonega began

When was Stonega founded?

1895

Stonega dates its founding to 1895 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1896.

2020 census: 93131 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1896.The full story ↓

What stands out about Stonega’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Stonega are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19226 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1991. Watch Stonega change.Old housesHalf of Stonega’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stonega’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stonega’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Stonega on the map, 1922 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stonega. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Stonega on the 1922 USGS mapStonega on the 1935 USGS mapStonega on the 1955 USGS mapStonega on the 1969 USGS mapStonega on the 1976 USGS mapStonega on the 1991 USGS map1922Big Stone Gap sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stonega.

The story

How Stonega came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stonega.

Read it all →

Stonega was founded by J.K. Taggart in 1895 as "Pioneer," a name chosen because it was the first commercial mine and coking plant in Wise County. The name was changed in 1896 to reflect the town's proximity to Stone Gap, a pass through the mountains between Virginia and Kentucky. That same year, Taggart was killed during a mining accident. The town was owned and maintained by the Virginia Coal and Iron Company until 1902, when the Stonega Coke and Coal Company assumed control of the operation and leased the land. There were no major strikes at Stonega or the surrounding camps until 1937.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stonega, 1895 to 1922

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1895
    FoundingStonega is established
  3. 1896Post officeThe Stonega post office opens
  4. 1899Born hereJames H. Law is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Questions about Stonega’s history

What year was Stonega founded?

In 1895, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Stonega’s post office opened in 1896.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.