WINONA, WV AND KEENEYS CREEK MINES
Coal operator John Nuttal, who had experienced success with his mine at Nuttallburg, decided in the 1890's that
he would like to exploit his Sewell seam coal lands on the mountain top above Nuttallburg. It was due to his persistence that a rail branch was constructed
up nearby Keeneys Creek that would later serve several coal mines. The Keeneys Creek branch, which was adopted into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
system upon its completion, was an engineering masterpiece. Just west of the C&O mainline bridge over Keeneys Creek, a rail spur branched off and
began to ascend the steep cliffs of the New River Gorge. The rail branch went behind the Nuttallburg coal camp, crossed under the Nuttallburg
retarding conveyor, switched back, crossed under the conveyor again, crossed several small bridges, and when it finally entered the Keeneys
Creek watershed had gained approximately 500 feet in elevation. All of this was engineered without calculators, laser transits, or CAD software.
Rail bridges (red arrows) on the cliffs above the New River remaining from the Keeneys Creek
rail branch.
By 1892 there were already 6 coal companies operating along Keeneys Creek, as listed in the 1891 annual state mine report: Keeneys Creek mine (whose tipple
was actually on the C&O main line), Boone Coal & Coke, Nos. 1 & 2 mines of Ballenger Coal & Coke, Smokeless Coal Co., Rothwell Coal Co., and
J.F. Cavendish Coal Co. at the end of the line in Lookout.
The 1906 C&O Railway shippers directory listed 6 companies mining coal on Keeneys Creek: Boone Coal & Coke, Blume Coal & Coke, Ballinger Coal
Co., Keeneys Creek Colliery Co., and Rothwell Coal Co. In 1920, according to historian Roy Long, passenger train service was
added to the Keeneys Creek rail branch.
By 1950, C&O's Coal Mine Directory showed 6 mines on Keeneys Creek being operated by two companies: The Morrow Mine of Nuri Smokeless Coal Co.,
and the rest by Maryland New River Coal Co. After the 1950's the exhausted mines were closed, the rail branch was abandoned and removed, and most
of the coal camps disappeared. Today Lookout, WV still has a population living on each side of Route 60, and Winona is still inhabited, but the
coal mines and company towns along Keeneys Creek have faded away.
A steam locomotive poses on the Keeneys Creek rail branch in the early 20th Century.
The small coal mining community of Boone has returned to
nature, but I did find these foundations from the mine. The 1892 state mine report describes the Boone Coal & Coke Co. operation: "A tramway of
some little extent connects the drift mouth with a short incline, whence the coal is run to the tipple. Owing to the location of lease,
they were unable to open the mine directly on the main line of the railroad, but were unavoidably forced to construct the said
tramway in order to get behind the coal and develop the territory on the raise of the coal. The ventilation by means of a furnace is
fair as is also the drainage." Building a hot furnace near a mine portal to create air currents was one means of ventilating a coal
mine before the use of centrifugal and axial vane fans became widespread. In the 1906 C&O Shippers' Directory claims, "The company has 80 well-built and
comfortable houses, which they rent out at a low figure to their employees. The Maryland New River Coal Co. later owned the Boone mine.
For illustration purposes here is a ventilating furnace at a coal mine of unknown
location.
The floor of this stone-walled channel orginially held the mine
locomotive tracks leading from the Boone drift portal.
Possible remains of the Boone powder house (for dynamite storage).
An 1800' incline connected the Ballinger Coal Company's
tipple, shown here, with the mine portal. Originally called Ballinger Coal & Coke Co., they had already closed their No. 2 mine when this
picture was taken around 1919, but would continue operating their No. 1 mine until 1931.
The "Winona Pool Room" in Winona, WV. There are also a few company houses remaining in Winona, but not enough of them
to retain the company town look.
This must have been the old school house for Winona.
An original coal camp house at Winona that probably housed
the family of a miner who worked at Maryland New River Coal Company's Dubree No. 2 or 3 mine.
Vintage picture of the Blume Coal & Coke tipple. As you can see, the tipple only loaded coal into rail cars. There
was little to no preparation equipment. It doesn't even look big enough for a picking table. In 1906
their mine at Lookout was said to have been in a 3'-8" to 4'-0" section of Sewell coal, and was ventilated by a "ten-foot disc fan."
Partially covered portal of the Lookout Mine as it looks today. The mine was later operated by the Maryland New River
Coal Company until the 1950's.
Probably an old mine fan housing at the Lookout Mine site.
These ruins of a block building are also part of the Lookout Mine complex. Visible on the "inside" of the building
are raised equipment bases and rusting pipe segments, so this must have been a small bath house, lamp house, or repair shop.
This small structure at the Lookout coal mine may have been to house blasting caps.
Trestle remaining from the Keeneys Creek rail branch. The Park Service has
designated this old rail bed as a hiking trail.
March 1989 image courtesy of Mick Vest
C&O Railway image via Google Books
March 2004 image by author
Circa 1938 American Mining Congress image
2022 image courtesy of Dave
2022 image courtesy of Dave
Image from
The Black Diamond via Google Books
March 2004 image by author
Dec. 2013 image by author
Dec. 2013 image by author
C&O Railway image via Google Books
Image from The Black Diamond via Google Books
Snowy view circa 1919 of Blume Coal & Coke's mine portals. The overhead
supports were for trolley wires
Dec. 2013 image by author
Dec. 2013 image by author
Dec. 2013 image by author
Dec. 2013 image by author
Apr. 2013 image by author
SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA COALFIELDS