Atwater in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Atwater Coal Company Mine Disaster
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 17, 2013
1. Atwater Coal Company Mine Disaster Marker
On July 3, 1872, 16 men and a 9-year old boy descended the 170 foot shaft in the Atwater Coal Company Mine located in Atwater Township south of Route 224 and East of Route 225. The mine was situated on the property known as the S.G. Shaffer Farm. By mid-day, 7 miners survived the brutal fire in the mine. Richard Roberts, Robert Roberts, William Roberts, Thomas Maines, Joseph Otey, John Williams, John Howells, John Jones and a 9-year old George Hufford gave their lives to the first Mining Disaster in Ohio and the 19th mining disaster in the United States since 1839 with more than 5 fatalities. In 1873, Ohio was second State to pass a law for the safety of Miners.
Erected 2011 by Atwater Historical Society-Residents of Atwater-The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 13-67.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1844.
Location. 41° 1.15′ N, 81° 8.883′ W. Marker is in Atwater, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Atwater Road (Ohio
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Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Atwater Cemetery Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Atwater Center Veterans & Firefighters Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Union Soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic of Ohio Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Deer Creek Quaker Cemetery (approx. 2½ miles away); Lexington Quaker Cemetery (approx. 4.4 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 5.1 miles away);
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 17, 2013
2. Atwater Coal Company Mine Disaster Marker
Also see . . . Atwater mine disaster is forgotten tragedy in Ohio. (Submitted on July 1, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 6,243 times since then and 352 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Al Wolf was the editor who published this page.
