Coal Mining

For half-a-century, the vast New River Coalfield fueled the Industrial Revolution that transformed the United States into an industrial giant. Remnants of the once thriving industry exist as historic sites within the New River Gorge National River, but can be found unprotected throughout the adjoining Flat Top-Pocahontas and Winding Gulf coalfields.

Mining Towns of the Gorge

More the 60 coal mining towns once flourished in the New River Gorge where thousands of persons lived and worked. Today virtually all are ghost towns, abandoned to the forces of nature. Our interactive map shows the location of the historic mining towns of the gorge and provides links to the history of each coal camp, along with the history of the coal mining companies and railroad lines that sprang up deep within the New River Gorge during the decade following the American Civil War.