Coal Heritage Sites in the Fairmont Coal Fields of Northern West Virginia

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This local history museum is located inside the former Philippi railroad station that was constructed in 1911 and connected this community to the Baltimore an Ohio rail line. The Barbour County Historical Museum includes a variety of exhibits from the colonial period to the present. These exhibits include Civil War era weapons, various railroad artifacts, and exhibits of clothing from the antebellum period as well as a large display of flags. The Hamrick Mummies are a highlight of the museum and were once one of the leading attractions of the traveling P.T. Barnum Circus. The Museum has many objects from the county’s abundant coal history.

2. Newburg Mine Disaster Memorial

The Newburg Mine Disaster Memorial honors the 39 men and boys were killed in the gas explosion at the Mountain Brook Shaft of the Newburg Orrel Coal Company in 1886. The Newburg Mine Disaster was the first big shaft mine explosion in the state of West Virginia. The bronze plaque was dedicated by the Newburg Rotary Club in 1989, and is located in front of the Newburg Post Office.

3. Community Center

Welcome to the first New Deal planned community of Arthurdale, West Virginia! Started in 1933 under the direct personal guidance of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Arthurdale was the first of 99 such towns that the federal government constructed throughout the Great Depression for economically distressed areas nationwide. Arthurdale was constructed specifically to provide economic relief to destitute coal miners and their families from Scotts Run, WV, a place that became the poster-child of poverty in the Great Depression due to its prominence in the national press. In total, 165 families were situated in houses in Arthurdale with 2-5 acres of farmland each, barns, tools, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities for all. This was a massive and expensive project, but ultimately left these families with more resources and opportunities than they had before. Arthurdale Heritage currently operates a five-building museum on the site. Come step back in time and get a sense of the New Deal, the Great Depression, subsistence farming, and family life in 1930s rural West Virginia.Please note that many places included on this tour are private residences. We ask that visitors be respectful of the homes as you drive by them.

4. Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum

West Virginia University’s collection of historical artifacts and archival materials from the mining and petroleum industries of West Virginia.

5. Scott's Run Museum

Located on Scott’s Run Road in Osage, West Virginia, the Scott’s Run Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the coal mining settlements that dotted the landscape along the western side of the Monongahela River in the early twentieth century. The museum began as a one-day operation on November 1, 1996 before becoming a permanent institution the following year. Although the museum was initially established as part of the work sponsored by the United Communities of Scott’s Run, Inc., it has had separate incorporation since December of 1997. The Scott’s Run coal mining communities are among the most famous in the history of West Virginia and Appalachia and received considerable attention for the suffering experienced by area miners during the Great Depression, suffering that motivated First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to take a particular interest in improving conditions in the area. The Scott’s Run Museum commemorates that history today and is open to the public on Saturday’s from 10 AM to 2 PM and for personal tours upon appointment.

6. Bretz Coke Ovens

It is the oldest beehive coke oven in the state of West Virginia, and the longest operational beehive oven in the nation. These 140 ovens are the last survivors of some 400 Elkins Coal and Coke ovens erected here early in the 20th century. They are built into the hillside directly below the dirt road leading into the complex, face southwestward toward the tracks of the B & 0 Railroad, and are divided into two batteries arranged in continuous single rows.

7. Everett Mine Disaster Highway Historical Marker

On April 30, 1927, a powerful explosion occurred at Federal No. 3 mine in Everettville, Monongalia County, West Virginia. At least ninety-seven miners lost their lives. In the wake of the tragedy, the West Virginia Department of Mines conducted an investigation into the cause of the explosion. It concluded that a spark from a storage battery locomotive ignited built-up methane and coal dust in the mine, causing the deadly explosion. The agency claimed that rock dusting could have significantly reduced the magnitude of the explosion. Mine executives at Everettville, however, refused to do so prior to the tragedy, believing that the mine was too wet for coal dust to propagate a methane ignition.

8. Everettville Miners Memorial

The memorial honors the 97 miners killed on April 30th, 1927. The Federal No.3 Miners Memorial proudly displays the names of the 149 miners who bravely perished in the mine, including those who died in the fateful mine explosion in 1927. Both faces of the memorial lists the names of the miners and the year of their death. The Miner's Logo also displays above the memorial on both faces. The memorial now stands proudly near Federal No. 3, next to the Friendship Baptist Church in Everettville.

9. Northern Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage Association

Founded in March 2000, The Northern Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage Association (NACMHA) is dedicated to educating the public on our regional coal mining heritage. NACMHA operates a seasonal interactive coal mining museum in Fairmont, West Virginia adjacent to Coal Country Miniature Golf course along Interstate 79.

10. Marion County Historical Society and Museum

The Marion County Historical Society, Inc. was founded in 1908. The Society is dedicated to preserving the local history of Fairmont, Marion County and North Central West Virginia. Today, Marion County Historical Society operates a local history museum that includes the former Sheriff's Residence and a portion of the old county jail.

11. Statue of a Coal Miner at Mary Lou Retton Youth Park

The life size statue of a coal miner to honor coal miners in each county who lost their lives in West Virginia. Stone structures of each county surround the statue of a “coal miner who lost his life in the mine.”

12. Monongah Heroine Statue

The life size statue of a widowed mother and children in honor of the 361 miners killed in the Monongah Mines disaster on Dec. 6, 1907. The Monongah Mining Disaster of 1907 is the worst industrial disaster in U.S. History. The working memorial bell was donated by the Italian government. The Monongah Heroine Statue makes up part of the memorial to the victims of the Monongah Mine Disaster at the corner of Main Avenue and Bridge Street in downtown Monongah, West Virginia.

13. Manchin Clinic display

The display shows local coal mining artifacts at the medical clinic in Farmington, Marion County, West Virginia.

14. Dola Mine Memorial

The memorial honors the 22 coal miners killed in an explosion at the Compass No.2 Mine on April 25, 1963.

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

Coal Heritage Sites in the Fairmont Coal Fields of Northern West Virginia

Created by Mike Rohaly on February 18th 2021, 9:15:54 pm.

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Description

This coal history tour starts in the western side of the Fairmont Coal Field and works its way north and east before turning south to complete a half-circle. The tour consists of monuments, museums, memorials, and other sites related to the history of mining and life in the minefields in the six counties in Northern West Virginia that constitute the Fairmont Coal Field: Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor Counties.

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Coal Heritage Sites in the Fairmont Coal Fields of Northern West Virginia

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