At one time Raleigh was the second-largest town in Raleigh County. The mine and camp were opened in 1909 by the Raleigh Coal and Coke Co. The brand name for their coal, taken from the Beckley Seam, was "Black Knight." According to local historian Jim Wood, a total of 128 miners died in the Raleigh mines. The C&O located its train yard for the area here.
Evidently, by the late 1940s Raleigh Coal and Coke realized that its reserves were running out, and the company began scouting around the Winding Gulf Coalfield for new areas to develop. Apparently nothing came of it, because the company closed in 1950.
A November 25, 1950 article in the Beckley Post-Herald was titled, "Raleigh Coal and Coke Quits Operations." It stated:
"Oldest Active Producer Closes After 52 Years. Fifty-two years of continuous coal mining operations was brought to a dramatic conclusion yesterday morning when Raleigh Coal & Coke Company announced that operations were 'closed down indefinitely.' Founded in 1898 to tap the famous Beckley seam at Raleigh, the firm was the oldest active coal producer and at one time the largest operator in Raleigh County ... R.J. Burmeister, president of the company, explained the action by declaring that 'virtually all of the minable and merchantable coal has been exhausted from the lease. Therefore, it is up to the time when mining operations must cease and the lease be surrendered.' All of the mines operated by Raleigh Coal & Coke have been under a lease from Beaver Coal Corporation. The virgin seam of Beckley coal tapped first by Raleigh Coal & Coke is almost completely depleted and the tonnage was diminishing rapidly when the decision was reached by company officials. Since the Beckley seam was the only one mined by the company there was nothing else to do when this supply was exhausted. Miners employed at the operation, approximately 280 in number, received the news in stunned silence. Gathered in small groups at the company store, they would greet newcomers, point to the announcement, and say, 'There it is,' then retreat back into silence. The quiet atmosphere in the company store, usually a bustling place of business, was noticeable the minute anyone stepped inside the doors. Little conversation was heard from anyone because there was nothing to say ... Among Raleigh's shipments, which have gone to every state in the Union, to Canada, the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, and other foreign countries, have been those to the atomic plant at Hanford, Wash. via the Panama Canal. Ships have taken Raleigh coal as far as the tin mines in China."
A meeting was held in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 10, 1951, where stockholders voted to dissolve Raleigh Coal & Coke Company and surrender its business charter.
Mar. 2009 image by authorBird's-eye view of Raleigh, WV.Image courtesy of "Tribute to the Coal Miner Vol. 4," with permissionThe Raleigh coal camp back in "the day."1980s image by David SibrayA haunting image of the faded glory of Raleigh Coal and Coke Company's offices in ruins in the 1980s.Nov. 2004 image by authorSome of the company-built houses that remained in the early 21st century.Feb. 2001 image by authorPart of the coal camp.Oct. 1998 image by authorAnother part of the coal camp with company-built two-story houses.Nov. 2004 image by authorThough they are somewhat common in Pennsylvania, these "saltbox" coal camp houses are rare in Raleigh County, W.Va.Dec. 2023 image by authorA lone abandoned saltbox company house with what might be original siding. The window arrangement may be original as well, although the white vinyl-framed windows are modern.Dec. 2023 image by authorAnother section of company housing is up on "Ohio Hill."Dec. 2023 image by authorThis grand building, named Casa Loma, was constructed in the 1920s as the residence of Ernest Chilson, who was the superintendent of Raleigh Coal and Coke Co.Nov. 2023 image by authorAt some point Raleigh Coal and Coke built another residential section named the Glen Morgan Addition. These homes probably belonged to that development.Dec. 2023 image by authorA Saturday afternoon in winter in Raleigh. The former power station is in the center.Jun. 2005 image by authorIn contrast to the miners' homes in the "bottom" of Raleigh, this house higher up on the hill belonged to the mine engineer. Typically, the homes of the company officials were more elaborate and substantial than the homes the coal companies provided for the miners' families.Jun. 2005 image by authorDetail of the foundation on the engineer's house. According to the owner, it is original.Jun. 2005 image by authorA staircase ascends out of the living room.Jun. 2005 image by authorDetail of the parquet floor on the second level of the engineer's house.Jun. 2005 image by authorMany coal miners' homes didn't have closets. The residents usually owned a wardrobe. But this view of a bedroom in the engineer's house shows a closet (with a more than adequate capacity) and the ornate style of window found throughout the house.Image courtesy of "Raleigh County - A Century of Pictures," with permissionThe company store as it looked in the 1940s. This replaced an earlier wood-framed store.Feb. 2001 image by authorThe former company store as it looked in the early 21st century.Dec. 2023 image by authorOver 20 years later, the old store building is deteriorating.This ad, from the November 20, 1951 edition of the Beckley Post-Herald, shows Raleigh Coal and Coke selling fixtures from the company store after it had closed.Feb. 2001 image by authorThe swastikas on this former electrical transformer station have nothing to do with Nazi Germany, since it was built before World War II. The initials on the building stand for Raleigh Coal & Coke Co.Sep. 2022 image by authorThe power station went up for sale in 2022. The realtor, David Sibray, held an open house one Saturday morning.Sep. 2022 image by authorThe realtor temporarily installed accent lighting in the power station for the open house.Sep. 2022 image by authorAn overhead crane remains in the power station. This would have been used to move heavy equipment, such as electric motors, around the room.Jun. 2005 image by authorIt's amazing that the mule stable at Raleigh has survived. It was later a carpenter shop for the mines. Again we partially see the R.C. & C. Co. initials.Jun. 2005 image by authorThe door of the mule stable.Jun. 2005 image by authorIn addition to the coal camp, Raleigh features this small rail yard built by the C&O and now operated by CSX. On the left is the depot, and on the right is the coaling tower dating from the era of steam locomotives. The Raleigh train yard was of great significance until the 1980s, as all of the coal that C&O brought out of the Gulf, from the spur through Skelton to Cranberry, and from the branch through Mabscott, Eccles, and on to the Maple Meadows mine came through here. Now, with most of the operations closed, the yard is of decreased importance. Its current purpose appears to be as a base for maintenance operations for the Piney Creek Subdivision of CSX, as rail operations are now based out of Quinnimont.Jun. 2005 image by authorThe historic depot at the Raleigh train yard.Jun. 2005 image by authorEnd view of the depot.Jun. 2005 image by authorDetail of the door to the yardmaster's office.Jun. 2005 image by authorThe coaling tower held many tons of fuel for the steam engines that powered C&O trains until the 1950s.Jun. 2005 image by authorCSX stockpile of spare parts in the Raleigh yard.Jun. 2005 image by authorSupply warehouse in the Raleigh yard.
In 2015 I had to drive through Raleigh on a business jaunt. Since I already had my camera in my truck, I snapped a few pictures:
May 2015 image by authorThe yellow building on the left may have been a boarding house. In the background can be seen the former Raleigh Coal & Coke power house.May 2015 image by authorSadly, some of these coal camp houses are still inhabited.May 2015 image by authorPossible boarding house, railroad tracks, and former company store.May 2015 image by authorSome of the two-story "saltbox" company houses are still there in various stages of alteration.May 2015 image by authorThis little house could have been a company doctor's office, or almost anything.May 2015 image by authorI was once told that these houses way up on the mountain above Raleigh were built as a residential development around 1940 by Raleigh Coal & Coke Co. named Raleigh Heights.May 2015 image by authorThis large building named "Casa Loma" was originally constructed by Raleigh Coal & Coke and is now home to UMWA District 29.May 2015 image by authorSidewalks were a rare commodity in most coal camps.
Raleigh was one of two coal mining towns in Raleigh County to feature beehive coke ovens. (The other was Royal in the New River Gorge.)
Dec. 2023 image by authorI poked around in the briars looking for any remnant of the ovens to confirm where I thought they might be located and found this stone remnant of the wharf wall where the coke workers stood.Dec. 2023 image by authorWhat really confirmed that I had indeed found the coke oven site was this fragment of refractory brick.Dec. 2023 image by authorNearby, lying with some other rocks, I found more fire brick (red arrows).Dec. 2023 image by authorI believe the ATV-rutted road going to the left of the railroad was once the rail siding for the coke ovens. The ovens would have been built into the hillside to the left of the siding.
Steve Bennett sent in these pictures he took of the remains of Raleigh No. 6 mine. The remains are over the hill from the end of Woodlawn Avenue in Beckley. Steve writes:
"I grew up a few yards from the #6 tipple ruins and my job as a kid was to take the tin cans and trash that would not burn and toss them into a recess in the tipple ruins. Later in the 1970s a load-out was built on top of the tipple ruins, partially destroying it and partially covering it. During construction of the load-out a blast sent a boulder through our roof. The load-out only operated a couple years. Today there is no sign of the load-out from the '70s, but the rest of the #6 tipple remains are still there hidden in thick briars. I cut myself all to crap to get these photos."
Nov. 2015 image by Steve BennettNov. 2015 image by Steve BennettNov. 2015 image by Steve Bennett
