Fayette and South Fayette
Fayette and South Fayette, West Virginia were established along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad (C&O) when it was completed through the New River Valley in January 1873.
Fayette was a company town developed by the Fayette Coal & Coke Company c. 1886 with the adjoining mines worked until 1916 with the exception of 1900-01 when they were operated by the Low Moor Iron Company under a short term lease. 2 The mines were then operated by the Fayette Smokeless Coal Company until 1918 and then by the Reliance Coal & Coke Company until 1920. The mines were later operated by the Hood Coal Company from 1945 until 1950 and by the Fayette Low Ash Coal Company in the 1960s.
Across the river was South Fayette, home to local railroad operations for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Prior to the completion of the Fayette Station Bridge, a ferry operated across the New River connecting Fayette and South Fayette between 1873 and 1889.
Sources
- Guide sign at Fayette Station Bridge.
- Dellamea, Chris. “New River Gorge.” COALFIELDS OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. Article.
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