Editing Mount Hope, West Virginia (section)

==History==
Early settlers came to Mount Hope to begin mining coal. Coal miners in Mount Hope continued to thrive for about 250 years, but ending due to the rise of mining in the Mid-west and closing entirely during the depression. 

Prior to the arrival of Europeans in Mount Hope, the land was used primarily by Native Americans for centuries until William Blake, Sr. became the first white settler in the area. During this time Blake built a Hotel, The Old Blake Inn, in order to house travelers and coal miners on their way through Mount Hope. Between the 1890s and 1930s, Mount Hope's population and economy were booming. Until a Tragic fire (The Mount Hope Fire) occurred in 1910, destroying the majority of the town, Including the Old Blake Inn, and leaving only a few buildings standing.

With the help of the town, Mount Hope had been rebuilt, the Old Blake Inn was completely destroyed but another Inn was built in its place and managed to reopen under the name "Hotel Mount Hope" and became a hot spot for the miners in the area. At this time, Mount Hope continued to prosper. But it did not last long. The population of Mount Hope started to decline due to the start of the Great Depression. Unfortunately, The town Mount Hope had a hard time recovering from the Depression. Hotel Mount Hope shut down and opened again as the "New River Hotel", a hotel for businessmen traveling through the town. The Hotel was completely renovated at this time and opened under yet another name "The Mountainair Hotel". But inevitably closed again. 

Today, Mount Hope's population continues to decline, leaving it much of a ghost town. The Hotel had been left vacant for some time but has since been bought and renamed the "Cottle Mountainair" by Joyce and Harvey Cottle, who have spent their time and dedication to renovate and reopen the Hotel as a space for family and community to come together. Joyce and Harvey currently rent out a room on the First floor to "Heart to Hands The Serendipity Shop<ref>{{cite web | url=https://heartserendipityshop.wixsite.com/mysite | title=Home &#124; Heart to Hands Reiki LLC }}</ref>", a local reiki and holistic shop that occasionally hosts events inside of the hotel.


The community took its name from the local Mount Hope School.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kenny|first=Hamill|title=West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015009099824;view=1up;seq=460;size=125|year=1945|publisher=The Place Name Press|location=Piedmont, WV|page=432}}</ref>

The [[Mount Hope Historic District]] and [[New River Company General Office Building]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>