| Hurley | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Virginia#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Virginia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Buchanan |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 37.4203°N -82.0197°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Hurley is an unincorporated community in Buchanan County, Virginia located at the convergence of County Routes 643, 646, 650, and 697, a short distance from the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines.
The Hurley post office was established in 1893.[1] The community was probably named for Samuel Robert Hurley, a pioneer settler.[2] Located at the mouth of Lester's Fork and along Knox Creek, it became a timbering center in Buchanan County and was the headquarters for the William M. Ritter Lumber Company as well as a station on the narrow-gauge BS&C (Big Sandy and Cumberland) railroad. Ritter ran Shay engines on the line for his large lumber mill there and a few passenger cars along with his freight cars until the Norfolk and Western Railroad took it over in 1923, converting the rails to standard gauge and replacing the Shays with big, non-geared steam engines to serve the emerging coal industry in the area.[3]
Hurley suffered devastating floods in 2002, which nearly wiped out the town.[4] The recovery efforts resulted in an FBI and IRS investigation into alleged corruption surrounding the use of government funds.[5]