Today the North Fork of the Blackwater River flows
past the quiet towns of Thomas, Coketon and Douglas in Tucker County, West
Virginia. There are fewer than 700 residents in these communities, but things
were not so calm a century ago.
Businessman and politician, Henry Gassaway Davis was largely responsible for
the boom experienced in the area beginning in 1883. Tucker County was
a vast wilderness until Davis, with help of his brothers, began pursuing the
rich coal resources on the banks of the North Fork of the Blackwater River.
The brothers realized that the coal and timber resources could only be
developed with technology. Davis brought the railroad from Elkins
through Thomas in 1884. Coal from the first deep mine was ready to be
loaded by the time the track was completed. By 1892, Davis Coal and
Coke Company was among the largest and best known coal companies in the
world.
An experiment with two coke ovens in 1887 determined that the coal was
excellent for coking. Coke is the purest of coal byproducts and was
the most valuable at the time. Two years following the experiment the
company had constructed over 500 “beehive” coke ovens along the mile and a
half rail line between Thomas and Douglas. The ovens were fed by
horse-drawn cars on tracks that lead from the mine tipples. The ovens burned
250 days a year and produced 200,000 tons of coke in a single year.
Davis Coal and Coke Company, headquartered in Coketon, reached peak
production in 1910. The company controlled 135,000 acres, employed 1600 men of
16 nationalities, operated two power plants, and worked over 1000 coke ovens and
9 mines within one square mile of the central office. The town of Thomas
boasted the grandest railway station between Cumberland, Maryland and Elkins,
West Virginia. The Buxton and Landstreet Store in Coketon was considered the
finest building in all the county. It had white tile bricks, ornamental
ceilings, graceful columns, and many electric lights. Front Street in Thomas
was laid with brick to become the first paved street in the county.
Coke production in beehive ovens was discontinued in 1912 due to advancements in
refining techniques. Thus began the areas slow decline. Many mines remained
active through World War II. But by 1950 only two mines were still working and Coketon’s population remained in decline. Underground mining ceased altogether
in 1956. However, the coal seams were far from exhausted, smaller surface
mining operations arrived around Tucker County and some still operate today.
The town of Coketon for the most part no longer exists. The evidence of
long-ago industrial prosperity can be seen only in a few houses and foundations,
collapsed or sealed mine entrances, and the quiet rows of coke ovens bordering
the old railroad line. Over 100 ovens remain in the Coketon area. Many are in
poor condition, covered by earth and hidden by trees and brush. However, a few
of the ovens are in excellent condition. The two experimental ovens built in
1887 to test the coking potential of Davis coal still stand.
The railroad grade itself is quite unique. The ten mile stretch between Thomas
and Hendricks was considered the steepest grade in the east at the time of
construction. It climbs 1236 feet in ten miles. The rail line contains three
large stone cut bridges to accommodate several mountain streams. The stone work
represents the skill of Italian stone masons. Today these bridges and railroad
grade are in good condition, and track has been removed to form a scenic hiking
and biking trail.
largely responsible for
the boom experienced in the area beginning in 1883. Tucker County was
a vast wilderness until Davis, with help of his brothers, began pursuing the
rich coal resources on the banks of the North Fork of the Blackwater River.
The brothers realized that the coal and timber resources could only be
developed with technology. Davis brought the railroad from Elkins
through Thomas in 1884. Coal from the first deep mine was ready to be
loaded by the time the track was completed. By 1892, Davis Coal and
Coke Company was among the largest and best known coal companies in the
world.
Davis Coal and Coke Company, headquartered in Coketon, reached peak
production in 1910. The company controlled 135,000 acres, employed 1600 men of
16 nationalities, operated two power plants, and worked over 1000 coke ovens and
9 mines within one square mile of the central office. The town of Thomas
boasted the grandest railway station between Cumberland, Maryland and Elkins,
West Virginia. The Buxton and Landstreet Store in Coketon was considered the
finest building in all the county. It had white tile bricks, ornamental
ceilings, graceful columns, and many electric lights. Front Street in Thomas
was laid with brick to become the first paved street in the county.
The town of Coketon for the most part no longer exists. The evidence of
long-ago industrial prosperity can be seen only in a few houses and foundations,
collapsed or sealed mine entrances, and the quiet rows of coke ovens bordering
the old railroad line. Over 100 ovens remain in the Coketon area. Many are in
poor condition, covered by earth and hidden by trees and brush. However, a few
of the ovens are in excellent condition. The two experimental ovens built in
1887 to test the coking potential of Davis coal still stand.