Feb. 2007 image by authorEastern Ohio was the land of giants among coal mining equipment. One of the most famous was the Big Muskie Bucyrus-Erie dragline. It was owned by Central Ohio Coal Company (a subsidiary of American Electric Power) and used at their large surface mine from 1969 until 1991. Despite valiant efforts to preserve it, it has been scrapped except for the bucket of the dragline, shown here, which is displayed as a roadside tourist attraction.1970's image courtesy of Bill GreenePostcard of the Big Muskie in its heyday.
COSHOCTON COALFIELD
Coshocton and Muskingum Counties
Photo courtesy of Coshocton First EditionAbandoned tipple in Jackson Twp. in Coshocton County.Photo courtesy of Coshocton First EditionAnother view of the abanoned tipple.
POMEROY COALFIELD
Meigs and Gallia Counties (and northern Mason County, WV)
This is one of the oldest coalfields in Ohio, with mines dating back to the early 19th Century. However, little remains from the early days of mining in the Pomeroy Coalfield. Coal was still being shipped from area mines as late as the 1950s.
A portion of the Pomeroy Coalfield extends under the Ohio River into Mason County, West Virginia. Coal was mined there during the first half of the 20th Century. Then, after a lull of many years, mining resumed in the early 2000's.
Jan. 1942 image by John Vachon, FAS/OWI Collection, Library of CongressA proud Pomeroy area coal miner.Circa 2004 Image courtesy of the Pomeroy Daily SentinelThis river tipple on East Main Street in Pomeroy, along the Ohio River, was called "The last remnant of the old coal tipple built in the 1800's ... to support the thriving mining industry in Pomeroy..." by the local newspaper. It was demolished in 2004.May 2008 image by authorCollapsed wooden tipple near Rock Springs, Ohio.Coal Age image via Google BooksAncient picture of the Pittsburgh Mining Company's river tipple at Minersville, Ohio. This coalfield was fortunate to be able to load coal right into Ohio River barges, cheaply shipping it's product up and down the river, especially to Cincinnati, which was an important coal market. However, this coalfield did have rail service by the Hocking Valley Railway (later the C&O Railway).Circa 2004 image by othersOne of the last coal mines in the area was the one operated by American Electric Power's subsidiary Southern Ohio Coal Co. It's coal was transported to a power plant across a fifteen mile overland conveyor, a portion of which is shown here.May 2024 image by authorPossible former coal mining town near Pomeroy.
LISBON COALFIELD
Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties
Nov. 2009 image by authorThe Thompson Brothers Mining Company's tipple in southern Mahoning County. This is a house coal tipple dispensing coal in lump and egg, and probably nut and slack, sizes of coal. The mine itself is on the hill behind the tipple, with coal being surface mined by a dragline. The entire operation is about 15 minutes south of Youngstown.Image couresty of The Village of LeetoniaBeehive coke ovens near Leetonia, Ohio.
FEDERAL CREEK COALFIELD
Athens and Morgan Counties
This is a coalfield in Bern and Rome Townships in Athens County, and Homer and Marion Counties in Morgan County. The field has focused on the Pittsburgh No. 8 seam of coal, which flares out to an economically minable thickness here; has a higher ash and sulfur content than other Pittsburgh seam fields; and has a rating of approximately 12,000 btu/lb at this location. This is probably the western-most extent of Pittsburgh No. 8 seam mining, although the deposits in Gallia County were lightly mined near Swan Creek.
Circa 1908 Geological Survey of Ohio image via Google BooksThere have been several attempts to coke Ohio coals, and none of them have been very successful. Here is an example - abandoned coke ovens at Utley. There were orginally 125 of the ovens, and also 50 ovens at nearby Lathrop.
OH BITUMINOUS COALFIELDS NOT COVERED BY THIS WEBSITE
Ironton (Lawrence, Gallia, Jackson Counties)
Massillion Coalfield (Stark, Wayne, and Summit Counties)
Palmyra Coalfield (Stark and Portage Counties)
Meigs Creek Coalfield (Morgan and Washington Counties)
