West Virginia Coal

Left to right: a coal miner's lunch pail, a self-contained self-rescue device, and a coal miner's hard hat with lamp. On display at the WVRRM, April-October 2015.

A plastic model of a mine of the type used in southern West Virginia.

Map showing coal mines and railroad lines in the Hinton Division of the New River District.

Coal was first discovered in West Virginia (Virginia at the time) in 1742, but coal was seldom used as a source of energy. After Independence, some Americans knew coal would help fuel the new nation’s growth and the first commercial mining operation in West Virginia opened in 1810. However, challenging terrain and lack of a steady labor force delayed large-scale coal mining operations until after the Civil War.

Technological advancements and the rapid expansion of railroads after the Civil War allowed for the development of new coal fields. Southern West Virginia's coal was especially desired, as it was bituminous or "smokeless" coal. Coal mining camps and towns were soon built near the coal fields. The Virginian was just one of many railroads that hauled coal from rural West Virginia to elsewhere in the United States.