WICKHAM, WV
A coal camp on the edge of Beckley that was originally named Bickel and also known as the Beckley Slope mine. Despite the Beckley Slope name, the mine was in the
Sewell, not Beckley, seam of coal, and it was opened in 1903 by the Beckley Coal and Coke Company, a concern owned by Thomas Wickham.
The mine was later operated for a few years by the New River Company. The Beckley Slope coal mine closed in 1925. Today Wickham is part of Mabscott, W.Va.
A fuzzy and ancient picture of Wickham when it was new.
These coal company houses, visible in the old photo above, are a familiar site to anyone that travels Whitestick St. in Mabscott.
These houses, which are in the right side of the vintage picture above, are larger than the miners' company houses, and may have been the homes of the company doctor, store manager, and
other company officials.
The Wickham coal mine's power house. At the time of this photo it was part of the David Hill Concrete plant. Since that time it was demolished.
The power house and tipple as they appeared during the mining years.
Coal camp houses built on the hill behind where the mine was located. They may have been built at a later date when demand for coal was high and the company
was increasing production.
A rare photograph of the Wickham company store, which burned many years ago.
In classic coal town fashion the superintendent's house sat on a hill looking down on the mine and workers' homes. But in this coal mining
town many of the homes were up on the hills around the mine, too.
Coal camp houses near the super's house.
Image from the out of print book "The New River Company-Mining Coal and Making History 1906-1976"
Oct. 2004 image by author
Oct. 2001 image by author
Oct. 2004 image by author
Image from the out of print book "Tribute to the Coal Industry"
Oct. 2004 image by author
Image from the out of print book "The New River Company-Mining Coal and Making History 1906-1976"
Aug. 2014 image by author
Oct. 2001 image by author