The New River Company was a leader in the safety-first movement which swept through the state's mining communities during the 1920s and 1930s. The company established first aid teams at each of its operations, and each year they competed in a . . . — — Map (db m242625) HM
With the birth of the Coal Industry, Mount Hope would play a very important role.
During Mount Hope's early history, settlers began removing coal from a seam on the side of a mountain. Commercial mining of coal had been in effect since the . . . — — Map (db m161343) HM
Native Americans used the area of Sugar. Dunloup, and Mill Creeks for hunting until Virginia's Governor purchased land south of the Kanawha River in 1770. Raids continued until General Anthony Waynes won a decisive victory in Ohio in 1794 securing . . . — — Map (db m161340) HM
Many structures built during the coal boom remain throughout the town of Mount Hope showing the business and industrial center that Mount Hope once was.
The stone bank building that survived the fire of 1910 and the New River Coal Company office . . . — — Map (db m161338) HM
By 1872 there were only three families, that of C.C. Brown, the Warner's and the McGinnis’ living in the area now known as Mount Hope. They built a one room wooden schoolhouse replacing the first school held in the Blake Ian kitchen and in a tenant . . . — — Map (db m161276) HM
The New River field is one of the smokeless coal producing regions of southern West Virginia. It takes its name from the New River that generally bisects the field from north to south. Coal that produced little smoke when burned was very desirable . . . — — Map (db m242623) HM
Located within the New River coalfield, Mt. Hope was an important service center for the oldest of southern West Virginia's three "smokeless" coalfields. Unlike the Pocahontas field, where town- building followed railroad and coal development, . . . — — Map (db m242624) HM
On the morning of July 23. 1966, an explosion tore through an area of the Mount Hope Siltix Mine that was being operated by the New River Company. The blast, caused by the ignition of built-up methane gas, killed seven men and wounded two others who . . . — — Map (db m228744) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m242618) HM
The turn of the 20th century brought the birth of two of the most important coal companies in the New River field: the McKell Coal & Coke Company and the New River Company. Thomas McKell's company was organized in 1893 to lease coal lands to . . . — — Map (db m242626) HM
As Mt. Hope emerged, there occurred one of the most important events in the state's history: the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, routed through the New River Gorge, was completed in 1873. The C&O was the first railroad to enter southern West Virginia . . . — — Map (db m242622) HM
Occupying an area of land in a bend on the west side of the New River, much of what became the New River coalfields was once known simply as "the Loop" to early-19th century Virginians on the frontier. Bound by the river, the area was fed by two . . . — — Map (db m228745) HM
Located on the edge of Mount Hope, a mining operation was first established at Kilsyth in 1893 by the McKell Coal and Coke Company. Operating until the 1940s under the New River Coal Company, the mine's production peaked in 1911. The mine was . . . — — Map (db m228747) HM
Located in the New River basin and bisecting portions of Raleigh and Fayette counties, Dunloup Creek historically has been the subject of many efforts to establish crossings, whether for pedestrian, railroad, or automobile. Foot bridges, wooden . . . — — Map (db m228748) HM
In memory of our local loyal defenders who offered their lives in the cuase of world democracy, 1914–1918.
White Roy Arnold • Wm. M. Armentrout • Robert Archer •Edward Brock •Albert S. Bradley • Clarence Bailey • Lonard Boggess • Lake . . . — — Map (db m179276) WM
Nallen. Wilderness Lumber Co. camp, named for John I. Nallen, manager, circa 1916. John Bayes family settled in 1825, later by James Miller, who had ferry across Meadow R. Served by Sewell Valley, later NF&G connection to C&O RR. . . . — — Map (db m238234) HM
You are at the site of the coal-mining town of Nuttallburg. Mine owner John Nuttall arrived here in 1870 and quickly opened two mines. He built Nuttallburg to serve the mines and his workers.
Nuttallburg evolved with the mining industry, Mine . . . — — Map (db m242436) HM
The small building that once stood on this foundation was probably a mine workers' house. Many workers and their families would have called this home over the 85-year life of Nuttallburg. Try to picture yourself living and raising a family here a . . . — — Map (db m242437) HM
Nuttallburg was built around this picturesque stream, called Short Creek. The creek played a major role in the life of residents. It provided water for residents, water for Nuttalburg industry, and it divided the community socially. . . . — — Map (db m242431) HM
You are standing in the heart of Nuttallburg's African-American community. The school for black children once stood on the foundation in front of you. The church for blacks stood on the foundation behind you. When coal companies designed their . . . — — Map (db m242430) HM
This trail, the former Keeney Creek Branch Railroad, leads to the site of Nuttallburg, a coal mining town that existed from 1870 until 1958. Today you can visit the site and learn about life in a New River Gorge mining town. Several structures and . . . — — Map (db m242427) HM
This large foundation supported what was probably the most imposing residential building in Nuttallburg. It illustrates the quality of homes in which more-prominent families lived, and also demonstrates the evolution of Nuttallburg over time. . . . — — Map (db m242434) HM
The scene around you recently changed-again. The landscape here has undergone several transitions in the past 150 years. Native Americans and settlers in the early 1800s saw solid forest, but in the late 1800s mining companies cut much of the . . . — — Map (db m242435) HM
This long, low, masonry structure is a bank of coke ovens. It is the only structure that survives from Nuttallburg's earliest days. Workers used these ovens to convert coal into a hot-burning fuel called coke.
One of the first things John Nuttall . . . — — Map (db m242463) HM
You are at the site of the coal-mining town of Nuttallburg. Mine owner John Nuttall arrived here in 1870 and quickly opened two mines. He built Nuttallburg to serve the mines and his workers.
Nuttallburg evolved with the mining industry, Mine . . . — — Map (db m242428) HM
The large structures that dominate this site (the tipple behind you and the conveyor that climbs the slope in front of you) were built during a unique period in Nuttallburg's 85-year history. In the 1920s Henry Ford, of Ford Motor Company fame, was . . . — — Map (db m242459) HM
It was the belief of [my grandfather] that the safest and most profitable investment that a man could make was the purchase of wild lands which had natural resources on or under them. Such lands should increase in value... [and] no trusted . . . — — Map (db m242462) HM
The large structure that climbs the slope in front of you was a conveyor that carried coal from the mine entrance high up the gorge wall to the tipple behind you. It was an innovative-and expensive-device for moving coal downhill. At 1,385 feet . . . — — Map (db m242458) HM
The railroad track in front of you is the C&O Railway's main line. Without the railroad, there would have been no Nuttallburg. By carrying coal to market, the railroad made coal mining in New River Gorge possible. John Nuttall came here in 1870 to. . . . — — Map (db m242438) HM
This foundation marks the site of Nuttallburg's company store. Archeologists believe that it dates to the town's earliest days. Though few details are known about it, this store was probably similar to company stores throughout the coal fields. . . . — — Map (db m242466) HM
The large, metal structure in front of you was Nuttallburg's tipple, where coal was sorted, stored, loaded into rail cars, or transferred to the site's coke ovens. The name tipple comes from the practice in some mines of tipping ore cars to unload . . . — — Map (db m242457) HM
Sounds frightening doesn't it? It sounds like if you take this trail you might not be seen again. Fear not. Seldom Seen was the name of a community that once existed about 4 mile from here. Visiting the site of Seldom Seen takes about 30 minutes. It . . . — — Map (db m242465) HM
The legendary Hank Williams recorded 30 hit singles,
including seven number-one hits, on the Billboard Top Ten
country-western charts in six years. However, his erratic
behavior caused by a mixture of alcohol and narcotics
caused WSM’s Grand . . . — — Map (db m179221) HM
On 1 January 1953 in Oak Hill, West Virginia, Hank Williams Sr. made his last stop on his last tour. This memorial is dedicated by his fans who wish to keep his memory and music alive forever. — — Map (db m179255) HM
Built in 1903 by the White Oak Railway Company, the depot is one of the oldest surviving structures in the community. It was leased by the Virginian Railway Company in 1912, then purchased in 1922, and is the only extant Virginian depot in West . . . — — Map (db m143111) HM
White Oak Fuel Company built the Oakwood Mine Complex in 1902. In 1915, 21 miners died when gas in the mine exploded. A year later, the original wooden tipple was upgraded to a multi-story steel structure. New River Company ran the mine after . . . — — Map (db m76691) HM
New River Gorge National River is one of over 400 National Park areas that protect our natural and cultural treasures and tell our nation's stories. Whenever you pass by the National Park Service arrowhead symbol you have entered a special place . . . — — Map (db m242572) HM
Camp Prince, or Army Camp as it was known locally, was a site operated by the 1428th Engineer Float Bridge Company. It opened around 1950 as a training and testing ground for the quick assembly of temporary floating bridges. These bridges were . . . — — Map (db m242575) HM
Are you wondering, "Why don't they mow this area?" Rare species of plants are found here - one of the few places in West Virginia that these plants grow. Limiting the cutting of vegetation to once a year ensures the long-term health of these . . . — — Map (db m242574) HM
Fayette County. Formed in 1831 from Nicholas,
Greenbrier, Kanawha, Logan.
Named for General Lafayette.
On New River, 1671, Batts
and Fallam officially claimed
Mississippi Valley for Great
Britain in opposition to the
claim of France.
. . . — — Map (db m140483) HM
In 1870 the Quinnimont Charter Oak and Iron Company built an iron furnace on Laurel Creek, which operated for three
years. The main line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed through the gorge in the spring of 1873, and by
fall the . . . — — Map (db m165223) HM
Near here, at highest point on
the Midland Trail, Gen. Robert
E. Lee had headquarters during
his campaign in West Virginia
in 1861. His famous war horse
“Traveler,” was brought to him
here from the Andrew Johnston
farm in . . . — — Map (db m164702) HM
From August to October 1861, about
17,000 Union and Confederate troops
operated near the Sewell Mountain
area. Waiting for a major battle
that never came, many soldiers died
of disease caused by foul weather.
Excessive rainfall hampered . . . — — Map (db m138110) HM
Southwest is the Old Stone
House, built, 1824, by Richard
Tyree on the James River and
Kanawha Turnpike. It was visited by Jackson, Clay, Webster,
Benton, and other notables.
Here Matthew Fontaine Maury
wrote his book on navigation. — — Map (db m138108) HM
The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railway mainline was Thurmond's main street, the
core of this town's identity. As one of the busiest centers of activity in this region of coal commerce, Thurmond was the only place in a 73-mile stretch where . . . — — Map (db m165257) HM
Thurmond ran from the river's edge up the hill. Homes dotted the hillside. Large businesses (like Hotel Thurmond and Armour Meat Company) along with small shops
(a jeweler, shoemaker, barber, and others) served the needs of residents and . . . — — Map (db m165248) HM
The first bridge here was for trains. Built in 1889, it provided a critical link between the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railway mainline in Thurmond and the many coal mines and communities scattered throughout the gorge. The original bridge was . . . — — Map (db m242507) HM
As access to places outside the gorge improved, Thurmond's importance declined. Area coal mines also declined in productivity. The most significant changes, however, came by 1949 when the nation's railroad industry had switched from steam to . . . — — Map (db m165249) HM
A major use of coal was as fuel for steam trains. Coal was used to heat the water in the boiler of each locomotive, making steam that powered the train engines. As one of the few places in the gorge where locomotives could be refueled, the . . . — — Map (db m165246) HM
New River Gorge National River offers beautiful scenery and much more. The park features the geology of one of the world's
oldest rivers and preserves the natural and cultural diversity of a land once exploited by industry. Today New River Gorge is . . . — — Map (db m165244) HM
The area across the river was known as Southside Junction. During the industrial boom of the early 1900s, it helped draw many people to the Thurmond area for both business and pleasure.
Southside Junction boasted the famous Dunglen Hotel, as . . . — — Map (db m242506) HM
You are now in the heart of downtown Thurmond. In 1913 the Fayette Journal called Thurmond the “Biggest Little Town.” Today it is difficult to imagine why. Just three buildings survive from Thurmond’s once-thriving commercial district. . . . — — Map (db m242510) HM
The rails that you see here symbolize Thurmond’s essence—the railroad. These rails were truly Thurmond’s main street. Coal was king, but was worthless if it couldn’t get to market. Workers in Thurmond’s engine house kept the C&O Railway’s coal . . . — — Map (db m242511) HM
The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railway built this depot in 1904 to manage passengers and freight—mostly coal. This building replaced an earlier depot that burned the year before. The railroad was the only practical way in and out of New River . . . — — Map (db m242512) HM
Ribbons of steel were, and still are, the main street of Thurmond. For over 80 years, trains were the primary method of travel, linking over 50 New River communities to each other and connecting the gorge to the rest of the US. Thurmond was a . . . — — Map (db m165243) HM
