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Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box number], Asa Orin Bishop Papers, A&M 4649, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts from Marla Bishop, 2023 and 2022.

Biographical / Historical

A native of Floyd, Virginia, Asa Orin Bishop began his career with Pocahontas Fuel-Consolidation Coal in 1923. Bishop went on to serve as general manager of sales for company stores until his retirement in 1969. During his 46 years with Pocahontas Fuel-Consol stores, the company expanded into an 18-store complex.

While living in Pocahontas, Virginia, just across the West Virginia border, Bishop was active in a variety of organizations and civic groups, including the Pocahontas Lions Club, the Mercer Anglers Club and the Pocahontas First United Methodist Church. He also served as a director of the Southwest Virginia National Bank and a member of the Tazewell County Advisory Council on Vocational Education.

Bishop passed away in 1988 at the age of 83.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains twentieth century records pertaining to the life and career of Asa Orin Bishop, long time general manager of sales for company stores at Pocahontas Fuel-Consolidation Coal in Virginia. Records include financial, operational and promotional materials for Pocahontas Fuel (and later, Pocahontas Fuel-Consolidation Coal) and Pocahontas United Methodist Church, as well as a variety of sales training resources. The collection features a range of materials such as photographs, newspapers and clippings, ledger books and correspondence.

This collection includes some content containing outdated, biased, and offensive language about African Americans and Indigenous people that may be harmful or difficult to view.

Organization:

The collection is organized into seven series.

Series 1. Personal Papers and Correspondence, 1920s-1980s (Boxes 1 and 2) Photos, personal correspondence, financial records, notes and other memorabilia from Asa Orin Bishop and his family members.

Series 2. Pocahontas Fuel-Consolidation Coal, 1910s-1960s (Boxes 2 and 3) Financial documents, promotional materials, annual reports, company directories, union agreements, employee rules and regulations and other records.

Series 3. Pocahontas First United Methodist Church, 1960s-1990 (Box 3) Newsletters, programs, financial documents, prayers and hymns and other records.

Series 4. Sales Education and Training, 1950s-1960s (Box 4) Sales training pamphlets such as the "Digest of Salesmanship as Applied to Retail Selling" (1951) and two binders of materials from the "National Sales Executives Advanced School of Retail Management, Rutgers University," attended by Bishop in 1955 and 1956.

Series 5. Social Clubs, Community Programs and Investments, 1960s-1980s (Box 5) Documents and correspondence from various businesses and social clubs Bishop was involved with, such as the Virginia Military Institute football team (1960s-1970s), Tazewell County Vocational Schools Advisory Committee (1979-1980), Bluefield Union Mission (1973, 1978), Philadelphia Electric, N&W Railway (1969-1970s), National Industrial Stores Association (1960s), Pocahontas Lions Club (1970s-1980), Mercer Anglers Club and Lay Witness Mission.

Series 6. Newspapers and Clippings, 1950s-1980s (Boxes 5 and 6) A variety of newspaper clippings. Complete newspapers include the Bluefield Daily Telegraph , 8th Annual Coal Progress Edition, February 27, 1977, and Bluefield Daily Telegraph , 9th Annual Coal Progress Edition, April 30, 1978, as well as a special Bicentennial souvenir edition of the Williamson Daily News , June 25, 1976.

Series 7. Miscellaneous (Box 5) Unsorted documents pertaining to Bishop, including correspondence, receipts, financial documents, notes and writings. Includes a detailed firsthand account by Harriet Eliza Lathrop of move from New York to Virginia in 1881-1885.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Bishop, Asa Orin
• Consolidation Coal Company
• Pocahontas (Va.)
• Pocahontas Fuel Company