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The
community of Nuttallburg, which began when
enterprising Brit John Nuttall relocated from Pennsylvania and
initiated a
successful mining operation in the early 1870s, later went by the
wayside.
The
mining community was known as Nuttallburg,
but the station established there by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
(C&O) was named "Nuttall" and the station on the opposite side of
New River was named South Nuttall. The Nuttallburg post office was
established
in 1873, and was moved to Winona in the mid-1950s.
In 1919, historical accounts say,
industrialist
Henry Ford began developing a kinship with the Mountain State. Ford
purchased
the Nuttallburg mine that year and began its revitalization. Ford made
further
investments in coming years.
The Nuttallburg Mine had finally
played out by
the mid-1950s.
A majority of the equipment used
to extract coal
during the Ford era and beyond is still in place. 'The interesting
thing about
Nuttallburg is that there is a complete mining colliery still on site.
That
includes the mine portal, tracks, a conveyor, the tipple and other
portions of
equipment.
Nearby, are remnants of the
Keeneys Creek
branch line, and a C&O spur line envisioned by John Nuttall
are still visible, as well. Very few places
nationwide still have as much equipment in place. Normally, what is
left behind
are coal camps and administrative buildings.
The Nuttallburg property,
acquired by the park
service in 1998.
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