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This is a contributing entry for Nuttallburg, WV and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
Before being purchased by Henry Ford, Nuttallburg Mine was famous for the coke it produced. Coke is a secondary product in coal mining. Once coal is mined and brought to the surface, it can be fired in oxygen deprived ovens to form hard grey chunks of coke. Coke is exceptionally high in carbon with few impurities. It produces relatively little smoke when burned and can power high-powered blast furnaces, such as those used in the production of steel. This made it a more desirable product than raw coal in the early twentieth century. Nuttallburg operated eighty coke ovens at the base of the mountain. Each oven — known as beehive ovens due to their shape — had a five-ton capacity. They were constructed of rough cut stone blocks with small openings on the front for access. Discarded rails from construction of the railroad were used as lintels. When Henry Ford purchased Nuttallburg Mine in 1920, he stopped production of coke at the site, preferring instead to use coke yards outside the state. Approximately forty coke ovens are still extant at Nuttallburg, though they are in various states of disrepair.

Ovens were often built directly into the terrain for both safety and practicality.

Plant, Tree, Biome, Grass

Some extant coke ovens at Nuttallburg.

Plant, Tree, Sky, Wood

The coke ovens at Nuttallburg are beehive ovens, named for their shape.

Plant, Leaf, Nature, Vegetation

Raw coke after the firing process.

Bedrock, Outcrop, Landscape, Volcanic rock

Nuttallburg, National Park Service. July 13th 2020. Accessed May 4th 2021. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/nuttallburg.htm.

Nuttallburg Visitor Use Area Implementation Plan/Environmental Assessment , National Park Service. January 1st 2011. Accessed May 4th 2021. http://nuttallfamilywv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CD-Nuttallburg-IP-EA-November-2008.pdf.

Walsh, Rita. Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District, National Register of Historic Places. May 1st 2005. Accessed May 4th 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/fayette/07000846.pdf.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Abandoned. Accessed May 5th 2021. https://abandonedonline.net/location/nuttallburg/.

“Coke Ovens.” National Park Service. Accessed May 5th 2021. https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?pg=0&id=13BE0327-155D-451F-671C8C3196F9EDCA&gid=62E8C185-155D-451F-6713730DE9FEE7D1.

Abandoned. Accessed May 5th 2021. https://abandonedonline.net/location/nuttallburg/.

2006. Wikimedia. Accessed May 5th 2021. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koks_Brennstoff.jpg.