Rock, is a small unincorporated town in an area where coal at one time was mined in a way that required a lot of men to do the work. There were coal mines all around, both large and small. Most of the people who lived in Rock in it’s hayday were either coal miners, railroaders or in some other way played a supporting role for the coal mines or their employeses.
Times have changed and practically all the smaller coal mines have closed, reportedly because they have been worked out. Now most of the mines that employee large numbers of miners are miles away from the Rock area.
Few of Rock’s residents now work in either the mines, mine related industries or the railroad. Those former miners and miners families that remain remember what Rock once was. Meaning, they know what it could be again; a neat little town with freshly painted houses, well kept lawns. A place where you could leave home for a day or a week and never really worry if maybe you forgot to lock your door before you left.
When most of us Rock residents speak of Rock, we are referring to the small community that lies between the “Rock Unincorporated” signs put up by the state on each end of town and a couple of miles up the Wright Mountain, down the River Road, up the Matoaka Road, up Black Oak Mountain and to Sandlick Junction.
Although there are sharp contrasts between the “Rock” we remember, and the “Rock” we have today, Rock is still a good place to live!