Martha Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Charlottesville Coal Tower

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 15, 2026

1. The Charlottesville Coal Tower Marker

Inscription. The Charlottesville Coal Tower is one of seven remaining of its kind in Virginia. The job of the coaling tower was to fuel steam-powered locomotives. 1948 was the last year of all-steam operations on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O), and steam operations fully ceased in 1956. The cylindrical coaling tower is an ideal vessel for strength and a logical design for placement of heavy loads of coal in the towers above the track. The 300-ton capacity was the most common on the C & O and appeared in at least eight locations. In the last decade of the C & O's full steam operations, there were 99 designated fueling locations.

In 1942, the Ogle Construction Company, one of three major builders of coaling stations, built the 91-foot-tall concrete coaling tower in Charlottesville. Decommissioned in 1986, the Charlottesville Coal Tower still stands between East Market Street and the CSX railroad tracks. Like most coaling stations, it was retired in place due to its large dimensions and solid construction.
Source: Chesapeake & Ohio Coaling Stations, By Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.

Location. 38° 1.647′ N, 78° 28.349′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Martha Jefferson. It is on East Water Street east of 10th Street Northeast, on the left when traveling east. It is wedged in between two apartment buildings. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1033 E Water St, Charlottesville VA 22902, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Farm (approx. 0.2 miles away); James Monroe (approx. 0.3 miles away); Thomas Jefferson (approx. 0.3 miles away); James Madison (approx.

The Charlottesville Coal Tower and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 15, 2026

2. The Charlottesville Coal Tower and Marker

The marker is on the concrete wall, on the left below the leftmost column, partially obscured by the tree.

0.3 miles away); The Three Notch’d Road (approx. 0.3 miles away); Carousel (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Carousel (approx. 0.3 miles away); University Street Railway Co. Stables and Car Shed (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.

Also see . . . Living A biography of Charlottesville’s coal tower. 2012 article by TobiasBeard at C-ville.com. Excerpt

The first steam locomotives ran on wood, a few on oil, but after the Civil War, coal became the railroad’s dominant energy source. So you needed coal and you needed a way to get it into the trains. At first, stations relied on a pile of coal and men with shovels, but by the end of the 19th century, most train depots had elaborate towers to house and dispense coal to the waiting trains. Early towers were made of wood, later towers steel or concrete. By the 1940s, some stations had towers that stood hundreds of feet high and spanned multiple tracks. The Charlottesville station had a wooden coaling tower originally, until in 1942 the Ogle Construction Company built a 91′-tall, concrete bullet capable of
Photographed by J. J. Prats

3. The Charlottesville Coal Tower
holding 300 tons of coal.

(Submitted on July 16, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2026, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 16, 2026, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.