The New River Gorge in West Virginia is one of the United States most recent National Parks. At the bottom of the gorge along the New River is the abandoned coal mining town of Nuttlallburg. In the 1870s John Nuttall began purchasing land and developing it along the gorge with plans of mining the coal that was abundant in the area. In 1873 the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway laid tracks along the river making it possible for the mine to ship the coal out to the rest of the country.
The coal was sent down into the gorge on a large coal cute and loaded into railroad cars. In 1920 Henry Ford leased the town’s mines to provide coal for his company steel mills. Because Henry was at the mercy of the railroad he abandoned his interest in the mine. It continued to mine coal until 1958 when it closed down. Without the mine for work, it was not long and the town was abandoned.
In 1998 the Nuttall family transferred ownership of Nuttallburg to the National Park Service which stabilized the remaining structures and foundations. Today it is considered one of the most intact examples of a coal mining complex in West Virginia and one of the most complete coal related industrial sites in the United States. The cute and building are still standing for visitors to explore. It was an adventure to drive down the winding road to see it but the road was not as difficult as the park service makes it out to be, especially if you are used to driving down forest roads and trails.
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