Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District
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 Location in West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | County Route 85/2, Fayette County, West Virginia |
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| Nearest city | Fayetteville, West Virginia |
| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | Roberts & Schaefer Co.; Fairmont Mining Machinery Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000846 |
| Added to NRHP | August 22, 2007 |
The Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District is a historic area in West Virginia. It's found near Winona, inside the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. This old town and mining site sits right by the New River. It has old buildings, coke ovens, and mining structures. There was even a bridge that crossed the river to another part of town called South Nuttall.
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A Town Built for Coal
Nuttallburg was once a busy town built around a coal mine. The Nuttallburg underground mine was a "room and pillar" mine. This means miners dug out coal, leaving pillars of coal to support the roof. This mine was closed and sealed in 1958.
The town was started in 1870 by John Nuttall. He knew that the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad would soon come through the New River Gorge. By the time the railroad arrived in 1873, Nuttall had built many things. There were almost 100 houses and 80 coke ovens. He also built various mine buildings and a coal tipple. A coal tipple is a structure used to load coal onto railroad cars.
Life in Nuttallburg
The land right by the river was used for the railroad and mining work. This meant houses had to be built on the hillsides. The town was also divided by race. White workers lived on the west side of Short Creek. Black workers lived on the east side, between the railroad and the river.
Because the town stretched along both sides of the river, a special bridge was needed. In 1899, the Roebling Bridge Company built a pedestrian suspension bridge. This bridge allowed people to walk across the river.
Ford Motor Company's Connection
In the 1920s, the Fordson Coal Company bought the mines in this area. These were called "captive mines." This means they were owned by a company to supply coal only to that company. Fordson Coal Company supplied coal to the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
Ford updated many of the mine's facilities during this time. However, Fordson sold the mine in 1928 to the New River Coal Corporation. This might have happened because railroad rules made it hard to transport coal to Michigan.
Nuttallburg Today
Most of the old wooden buildings in Nuttallburg have disappeared. They either fell apart due to weather or were taken apart for their wood. In 1998, the National Park Service bought the town and mining area. It became part of the New River Gorge National River, which is now the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
