Sanford in Lee County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Egypt Coal Mine
Photographed By Michael Buckner, August 18, 2022
1. Egypt Coal Mine Marker
Operated at intervals, 1856-1929. Aided the Confederate war effort. Site of explosions, 1895 & 1900. Shaft 2mi. N.
Erected 1948 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number H-41.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil.
Location. 35° 32.709′ N, 79° 14.391′ W. Marker is in Sanford, North Carolina, in Lee County. Marker is on Cumnock Road, 0.3 miles north of U.S. 421, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 418 Cumnock Road, Sanford NC 27330, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Endor Iron Works (here, next to this marker); Charles D. McIver (approx. 1.8 miles away); Coal Glen Mine Disaster (approx. 3.6 miles away); Buffalo Church (approx. 6.3 miles away); General Robert E. Lee (approx. 6.9 miles away); A.A.F Seawell (approx. 7.8 miles away); Granville Grant (approx. 9.7 miles away); Ramsey's Mill (approx. 10 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sanford.
Also see . . .
1. Egypt Coal Mine. North Carolina Highway Historical marker program website entry:
Egypt Coal Mine opened in 1856 in Chatham County (in a section(Submitted on January 21, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina.)that is now part of Lee County). The existence of a coal bed in the Deep River Valley was documented as early as 1775, although knowledge of it was not widespread. Little is known about early efforts to extract the coal, although apparently there was one mine in operation in the county near modern-day Gulf by 1811. Although the presence of coal in Chatham County was noted by state officials as early as the 1830s, it was not highly sought-after until the development of the railroad and the steamship. By the 1850s, a number of mines in the county existed. In November 1853, an auger boring uncovered a coal seam some 400 feet deep at the Egypt site. A shaft was sunk, which reached the vein in February 1856. Production began a few months later, and by May the first advertisements for Egypt coal were issued. Coal was initially transported to Fayetteville by wagon, and steamship transportation quickly followed. The Western Railroad was developed to carry the coal from the mine to Fayetteville.
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2. The Coal Demon of Deep River.
Near the banks of the Deep River, six miles northwest of Sanford, a cycle is about to begin anew. There is coal here, 100 million tons of it, geologists estimate. For more than two hundred(Submitted on January 21, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina.)years men have been trying to bring it to the surface. Millions have been spent, more than a hundred lives have been lost and for all the cost less than 1 million tons of Deep River Coal has seen sunlight. Today a new generation of men with a new generation of tools are ready to try again. Strip mining operations by the Chatham Coal Company are scheduled to begin here in the near future.Photographed By Michael Buckner, August 18, 20222. Egypt Coal Mine Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 219 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 21, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
