The Arrival Of Coal Towns

The Arrival Of Coal Towns. The Dunloup Creek Watershed. , The arrival of the coal industry in the 1890s dramatically transformed the landscape of the New River coalfield. Guided by managers of the newly-founded companies, company towns emerged almost overnight along the coal seam, introducing infrastructure, housing, and commerce in previously vacant settings. However, coal towns were often of a fleeting nature, sometimes disappearing after the closure of mines and other times being absorbed into neighboring developments., One such community was the town of MacDonald, designed by MacDonald Collieries Company owner Symington MacDonald. Located on an 830-acre lease of the Thomas McKell property, the company constructed its tipple on the hill above Dunloup Creek, attracting workers from the South and abroad. MacDonald grew rapidly alongside Mount Hope, functioning essentially as one community into the 20th century. By 1915, most of MacDonald was formally annexed into Mount Hope.