The Ghost Town of Nuttallburg, West Virginia

Nestled along the winding New River in Fayette County, West Virginia, lies Nuttallburg, a town forged from the ambitions of English entrepreneur John Nuttall. With foresight and determination, Nuttall acquired land rich in coal seams, anticipating the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in the early 1870s.

Nuttallburg swiftly emerged as a pioneering coal mining venture, becoming the second town in the New River Gorge to ship the coveted “smokeless” coal. Nuttall’s inaugural mine opened at the confluence of Keeneys Creek and the New River in 1870, followed by the eponymous Nuttallburg Mine in 1874, operated by the Nuttallburg Smokeless Fuel Company.

Innovative systems were employed to facilitate coal extraction and transportation. A conveyor system connected to a wooden tipple serviced the first mine, while a rail line delivered coal from the second mine to coke ovens. The distinctive “monitors” – cylindrical tubes with doors – expedited the unloading process at the tipple.

In an audacious bid for vertical integration, industrialist Henry Ford acquired the mining rights in 1920 through his Fordson Coal Company. Seeking to secure a stable coal supply for his steel mills, Ford’s son, Edsel, oversaw substantial investments in Nuttallburg’s infrastructure, including a new tipple and the pioneering “button-and-rope” conveyor system.

The investments proved fruitful, with production peaking at an impressive 240,820 tons in 1925. However, Ford’s ambitions were thwarted by his inability to control the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and restrictions imposed by regulatory bodies, ultimately leading to the sale of his interests in 1928.

Over the following decades, Nuttallburg witnessed further infrastructural enhancements, including a ventilation fan house and a coal washing facility. Despite changing ownership, mining operations persisted until their cessation in 1958, marking the end of an era.

In 1998, the Nuttall family bestowed Nuttallburg upon the National Park Service, ensuring its preservation within the New River Gorge National River. Today, this meticulously documented and stabilized town stands as a testament to the rich heritage of coal mining in West Virginia, offering a rare glimpse into a bygone era.

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My daughters pcp is a direct descendant of John Nuttall. He told me about the haunted mines and how his family gave ownership to the national park in 1998. I will eventually go over to check it out since I am in Virginia it’s not too far. I think it’s pretty cool looking at abandoned and ancient history and artifacts from that time. It’s nice when we can keep track of our family history. I’m surprised that the tipple it’s still standing after all these years. But definitely thank you for posting this.

Thanks for a wonderful return to the past!

My Dad was overseer of the Nuttall Estate for many years. I remember going to Nuttallburg and taking the bell out of the old church. I also remember that there were fire hydrants in Nuttallburg and Dad told me that they had a fire department. I also remember the swinging bridge that went across the New River. Near the coke ovens there is a spring with the best water I have ever had.