John C.C. Mayo migrated to this county with his family at an early age and foresaw the wealth in coal. With meager savings from teaching, he and two others bought mineral rights in Johnson County, and soon his holdings extended throughout the valley. By the early 1900s he had interested Eastern capitalists in the Big Sandy coal fields and served as a primary link in their development. Mayo promoted railroads and helped organize banks to assist rail and coal companies. After gaining extensive wealth, he established many religious, educational, and financial institutions to help the mountain people. He built his home on this corner from 1904 to 1911 and built Mayo Memorial Methodist Church. Mayo State Vocational School had its beginning with Mayo College.