Part 1: The Western Maryland Elk Garden Branch: Harrison, WV to Elk Garden, WV 

A Quick Introduction to the Western Maryland's Elk Garden Branch

To allow for a more fluid understanding of the area, a quick retelling of the origins of the Western Maryland Railway's Elk Garden Branch are in order. First off, technically, the Elk Garden Branch was not the first rail line to exist in the vicinity of Elk Garden. In late 1881, with the opening of the Elk Garden No. 1 mine, a short tramway was built connecting the mine with an inclined plane reaching into the valley along Deep Run near modern day Nethkin. At the time of the mine's opening, Nethkin, then known as Mineville, was the terminus of the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad's mainline. This tramway was built at a narrow gauge, specifically to 42" specifications. H. K. Porter & Company, a locomotive manufacturer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, constructed a small engine to work on this two mile railroad in October of 1881. With construction number 455, this 0-6-0 saddle tank steam locomotive had 33" drivers and 9" x 16" sized cylinders. Upon delivery to Elk Garden via Mineville, the locomotive was renamed West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad No. 2. For eight years, until 1888, the only operating railroad in Elk Garden proper was the tramway connecting mine to tipple. However, this would all change in 1888 when Henry G. Davis, controller and operator of the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad, decided to build a new line into Elk Garden, replacing the inefficient tramway and plane infrastructure in current use. Known as the Elk Garden Branch, this line was to branch off the main line at Harrison, run up Abrams Creek before going through a switchback, finally heading up the rest of the way to Elk Garden. Although the switchback was still not optimal, this layout would be more efficient in transporting coal from the Elk Garden mines to market. On December 1st, 1888, the first official revenue train ran on the Elk Garden Branch, transporting two loaded coal cars from the Elk Garden No. 4 mine. The Elk Garden No. 1 mine, which had originally opened in late 1881, shipped its first load of coal via this new branch on December 11th, 1888. The total cost of constructing this branch was estimated to be approximately $100,000. In 1888, this was an immense amount of money. On January 21st, 1889, the new joint station at Harrison was completed, allowing passengers to either board mainline trains or the Elk Garden local. Interestingly, with the completion of the Elk Garden Branch, the narrow gauge "dinky" locomotive, that had been used to shuttle mine cars to the Mineville plane, stayed in service, likely to transfer coal from the Elk Garden No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 mines to the tipple near Elk Garden proper. After the Elk Garden No. 6 mine opened in 1891, it is likely that this locomotive was used to shuttle mine cars from the No. 6 portal to the tipple. The records of H. K. Porter & Company confirm that this locomotive was still operating in Elk Garden by November 18th, 1909. Back to the construction of the branch, on April 27th, 1888, the Elk Garden passenger station was opened. With the completion of this structure, the construction phase of the Elk Garden Branch was just about concluded. The next big change would occur in 1902, when a small, three and a half mile, branch line would be constructed from the Elk Garden Branch, towards coal reserves held near the community of Hartmansville. Known as the Hartmansville Branch, this line was mainly built to serve the Davis Coal & Coke Company's Wabash No. 9 mine located at the now ghost town of Wabash. According to the records of Henry G. Davis, the branch was to be completed by October 1st, 1902. However, the first revenue train ran on March 21st, 1903, presumably hauling coal from the aforementioned Wabash No. 9 mine. Up to this point in the history of both the Elk Garden and Hartmansville branches, the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad remained in control of the properties. However, this would change on November 1st, 1905, when the company and all its assets were transferred to the Gould Syndicate owned Western Maryland Railroad. After the December 1st, 1909, reorganization, the Elk Garden and Hartmansville properties were conveyed to the Western Maryland Railway. The so called "Wild Mary" would be the final owner and operator of these two branch lines. As a side note, another H. K. Porter & Company product was also in use at Elk Garden ferrying raw coal from the mines to the tipples. This was builder number 413, built in February of 1881. Constructed as an 0-4-0 saddle tank engine with 30" drivers and 8" x 16" cylinders, this locomotive was only owned by the Davis Coal & Coke Company for a short period of time. Although tangential, I always like to follow the history of specific locomotives. Porter No. 413 was built for the J & R Meily Company, which operated an iron furnace in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. By January 15th, 1907, the engine was owned by Henry A. Hitner Sons & Company. It appears that this engine operated at a stone quarry owned by the company located near Conway, New Hampshire. The engine could have also been used at the company's property in Philadelphia. I believe that the firm operated mainly as a contractor in and around Philly. Ownership by Henry A. Hitner Sons & Co. was short lived, as the engine was purchased by the Southern Iron & Equipment Company on May 6th, 1907. SI&E was a second hand locomotive dealer based out of Atlanta, Georgia. It appears that the engine was leased to the Davis Coal & Coke Company in Elk Garden between 1908 and 1909. The H. K. Porter records report that the locomotive was on the property of the Davis Coal & Coke Co. on November 18th, 1908. However, on December 30th, 1909, the engine appears to have been officially sold to the H. B. Short Company by the Southern Iron & Equipment Company. The H. B. Short Company was a lumber firm based in Waccamaw, North Carolina. The history of the locomotive after this sale is unknown. With that side quest over, let's return back to the Elk Garden Branch. Now under Western Maryland Railway ownership, the Elk Garden and Hartmansville branches remained relatively unchanged into the 1910s and 1920s. However, a big change would occur in May of 1919. That month, the Davis Coal & Coke Company, the owner of the original mines that led to the birth of the line in the first place, made the decision to official cease coal production in Elk Garden permanently. The few mines still containing exploitable coal would be sold to the Dean Coal Company and would operate a few more years. With the Davis Coal & Coke Company's retreat from Elk Garden, it became clear that the glory days of Elk Garden mining, and consequently, the busiest days of the Elk Garden Branch, were coming to a close. As there were a number of smaller coal operators on the Elk Garden Branch, especially around Emorysville, the line continued to operate through the 1920s and the early 1930s. However, the Great Depression and a general downturn in the price of coal would result in the future of the two rail lines coming into doubt. Unfortunately, the Western Maryland would make the decision to abandon portions of the two branches that decade. On July 11th, 1934, the Interstate Commerce Committee officially approved the abandonment of one and half miles of the Hartmansville Branch. Although it doesn't appear that any coal mines were operating on the branch prior to closure, there were a number of small time lumber enterprises that probably extended the life the of branch later then previously thought. Two days after the Hartmansville Branch's abandonment, the ICC approved the abandonment of the Elk Garden Branch between Elk Garden and Emoryville. This likely coincided with the closure of the Smokeless Coal Company, Inc, which operated in Elk Garden proper and closed in 1934. Unfortunately, more abandonments were in store for the two branches. On November 19th, 1940, the Western Maryland Railway applied to abandon the line between Emoryville and Oakmont. This likely included what was left of the Hartmansville Branch. The ICC officially approved this request on January 6th, 1941, and all the tracks were removed by May of 1941. On February 9th, 1949, the last coal shipment was made over what remained of the Elk Garden Branch. It is likely that this car originated at the former Eddy Coal Company property and was likely loaded with strip mine coal from some now unknown operator. After that date, it is likely that the remnant of the Elk Garden Branch between Oakmont and Harrison was abandoned, though it may not have been officially torn up. I make this claim because in 1962, it appears that coal once again began being shipped over the Elk Garden Branch. The D & L Coal Company, Inc. began mining in the Elk Garden area that year, eventually shipping out of a tipple located on the property of the aforementioned, long abandoned, Eddy Coal Company. This firm mainly operated strip mines, and was quite a productive operation, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately, success was not to last forever, as the tipple was officially decommissioned by December 31st, 1990. It is likely that after that date, no revenue trains would ever venture on to the Elk Garden Branch again. Today, there are little remnants of the railroad left. Some track does still exist at the junction at Harrison, but other than that, nothing remains. In fact, in a lot of places along the route, it is hard to know that a once busy railroad ever existed.

Part 2: The Towns Along the Line

NOTE: A major source used in the creation of this page are the annual reports from the West Virginia Department of Mines. For the researcher, many of these early, pre-1925, reports follow the FISCAL year, meaning that these reports cover the time frame of June 30th, 19__ to June 30th, 19__. That means that while I may have a mine operating from 1913 to 1951 in my records, it may have actually begun operating as early as June 31st, 1912, or as late as June 30th, 1913. After 1925, it appears that the reports began following the typical Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st, year.

ALSO: For many of the early West Virginia Department of Mines reports, tonnage numbers were consolidated into a single mine "name" even when coal actually came from multiple different openings. For example, the Pawama Coal & Coke Company, which is discussed on the VGN Main line page, operated both the Pawama No. 1 and Pawama No. 2 mines, however their tonnage is often consolidated in the documents.

Harrison, WV

All aboard! Welcome to the Western Maryland Railway's Elk Garden Branch. On this short seven and half mile journey, we will be traveling up Abram Creek towards the mining community of Elk Garden, West Virginia. Along the way, we will see multiple coal and lumber operations which we will explore in great detail. Our tour of the branch will begin here, at the small railroad town of Harrison, West Virginia. Harrison was named after George Harrison, who served as the supervisor of the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway's shipping department. Here at Harrison, the Elk Garden Branch connects with the Western Maryland's Thomas Subdivision, stretching between Elkins, West Virginia, and Cumberland, Maryland. Hope y'all enjoy the trip up the mountain!

Eddy Coal Company

0.4 miles east of Harrison, at a point known as "New Siding" we will pass our first coal tipple, owned and operated by the Eddy Coal Company. According to a number of sources, this firm was organized in 1920. From its inception, the Eddy Coal Co. was controlled by Howard and Edward Cross, Edward being the namesake of the enterprise. Howard Cross was responsible for the creation of many mining companies scattered along the Elk Garden Branch, so get used to hearing his name. In fact, he is the namesake of the community of Crosstown which we will pass through soon. The December 18th, 1920, edition of the Black Diamond contained a very detailed report on the operations of Howard Cross and his associates, including a piece on the Eddy Coal Company. This article describes the ways in which Mr. Cross conducted his business, noting his strategy in investing in mining properties after they have repaid their initial expenses. The Eddy Coal Co. was no different, starting off as a very small operation, increasing in size as it turned a profit. The May 5th, 1921, edition of Coal Age reported that investments were being made on property controlled by the Eddy Coal Co., including the construction of a number of new houses for miners and their families. The November 16th, 1921, edition of the Coal Trade Journal reported that the Eddy Coal Co. had officially commenced operation, actively producing on a small scale, with further investments planned in the future. The 1921 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported the directors of the company were as follows: William H. Strickler; President, Frank Strickler; Vice President, Eddy Cross; Treasurer, Howard Cross; General Manager, General Superintendent, and Purchasing Agent. Although no tonnage numbers were reported by the Eddy Coal Co. until 1923, the company was in the records as early as 1921. On November 21st, 1921, S. E. Hawkshaw inspected the mine on behalf of the West Virginia Department of Mines. In 1923, 34,000 tons of coal were mined by the Eddy Coal Company. It is likely that this was an estimate of coal mined since the facility opened in late 1921. Also in 1923, Grover Rawlings was listed as the mine foreman. The 1924 edition of the Coal Field Directory states that the Eddy No. 1 mine of the company had a daily capacity of 125 tons. The mine was extracting coal from the Upper Kittanning seam. The Lower Kittanning seam would also be mined at various times throughout the mines existence. For whatever reason, the Kittanning seams were renamed as simply the "C" Prime seam. Regardless of the name changes, this was all the same coal. In 1929, the Eddy Coal Co. had its most productive year, producing 49,552 tons of coal. It appears that the property had proved its productivity by this point, as the mine was upgraded to reach a daily capacity of 250 tons by 1930. William H. Strickler was still running the company by that year. The company continued operating into the 1930s, never churning out more than its successful 1930 campaign. In 1939, the mine and tipple closed after only 2,151 tons of coal were mined and shipped. However, coal mining wasn't quite finished at Harrison. In 1940, the Eddy Coal Co. property was transferred to the New Hope Coal Company. This Cumberland based company produced 3,657 tons the first year of operation. Just like the Eddy Coal Co., this firm never produced an exorbanent amount of coal. The most productive year was 1942 when 22,891 tons of Upper Kittanning seam coal were mined and shipped from the property. Operations were short lived as in 1944, after 11,370 tons of coal were mined, the mine and tipple were shut down once again. It does not appear that the Eddy property had a third life and was decommissioned permanently. 

D & L Coal Company, Incorporated

You thought that was the end of mining in Harrison? Surprisingly, you'd be wrong. The very last coal company to ship out of Harrison was the D & L Coal Company, Incorporated. The first rendition of this company was incorporated on May 12th, 1948, with an authorized capital stock of $5,000. Incorporators were listed as Rancil T. Davis and Edward C. Lambert; the last names of the two men serving as the namesake for the company. Doris A. Schwinabart was listed as president of the firm. The Schwinabart family would eventually control the company. This firm was founded to operate surface mines in the vicinity of Elk Garden. For whatever reason, the original company's charter was dissolved on May 8th, 1950, possibly due to bankruptcy. However, according to the MSHA website, operations of the D & L Coal Co., Inc. began on January 1st, 1950. Regardless, this firm would, under the control of the Schwinabart's, eventually develop a number of surface mines in the Elk Garden coal fields. The West Virginia Secretary of State website shows that a new firm, named the D & L Coal Company, was incorporated on November 14th, 1960. It is likely that this is the firm that would go on to ship coal out of Harrison in the 1970s and 1980s. As a note, the tipple of this company was located on the same property as the Eddy No. 1 tipple of the Eddy Coal Company. Anyway, the first mines operated by the D & L Coal Co. were the Schwinabart No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 mines; as well as an auger mine called the No. 2 mine. All of these mines exploited the Bakerstown seam. The first coal was produced in 1962, with the three Schwinabart mines churning out 12,426 tons. The No. 2 auger mine produced 4,400 tons of coal. In 1963, the Schwinabart No. 1 mine did not produce any coal. The No. 2 and No. 3 mines were active, and shipped 6,770 tons of Bakerstown coal. The D & L Coal Co. had an idle year in 1964, but operations resumed after this period. In 1965, a measly 327 tons of coal were mined at the firm's new Dixon No. 5 mine. Interestingly, the namesake of this property was likely A. C. Dixon, or a relative of his. Mr. Dixon was also the namesake of the Dixon mine operated by the Elk Garden Big Vein Company near Elk Garden. In 1966, the D & L Coal Co. opened another new drift working simply named the No. 4 mine. That year, 12,092 tons of coal were mined at this property. Like the other mines operated by the firm, this working exploited the Bakerstown seam. In 1968, the company closed its last deep mine, after it produced 5,094 tons of coal. A new era would begin for this firm in 1968, as the first strip mines were opened. That year, the No. 3-67 mine produced 2,409 tons of Pittsburg seam coal. In conjunction, the No. 107-68 mine produced 5,074 tons of Bakerstown coal. Unfortunately, I have limited sources regarding the D & L Coal Co. after 1968 as no later West Virginia Department of Mines reports have been digitized. Thankfully, I have personally digitized the 1970 to 1980 editions of the Keystone Coal Buyers Manual. These directories include some reports on the D & L Coal Company. For whatever reason, no reports relating to this firm exist in the 1970 or 1971 editions of this encyclopedia. 1972 however includes a detailed report snippet covering the operations of the company. This report states that in 1970, the No. 107-68, No. 233-70, No. 378-69, and No. 389-69 mines produced 92,968 tons of coal. These were all strip mines, employing a total of eighteen people. The No. 494-70 mine, also active that year, produced 16,452 tons of Pittsburg seam coal. By that time, the Schwinabart's were still in control, with Richard Schwinabart listed as the General Superintendent. Over the next few years, the D & L Coal Co. would consistently mine six digit tonnage levels of coal. In 1978, the firm produced 154,065 tons of coal. Much of this coal was mined from the Pittsburg seam. Unfortunately, after this year, information about this company's production is tough to find as I have yet to digitize the next annual reports of the Keystone Coal Buyers Manual. In 1981, the D & L Coal Co. began mining at a property known as the No. 1 Strip mine. In 1983, the No. 1 Strip mine produced 88,759 tons of coal. It is likely that the No. 1 strip was not a singular mine, but likely an amalgamation of strip mine operations scattered throughout the Elk Garden area. The two main coal seams exploited by the company at this property were the Pittsburgh and Redstone seams. In 1985, the No. 1 Strip mine produced 85,524 tons of coal. The D & L Coal Co. was still actively shipping by rail in December of 1988 according to a local newspaper advertisement. However, by December 31st, 1990, the Oakmont tipple had been listed as out of service and had likely been decommissioned. Interestingly, although the tipple had closed, the No. 1 Strip mine continued operating, producing steam coal for the Luke Paper Mill up near Piedmont that was shipped by truck. The mine has since idled, although the D & L Coal Co., Inc. and the No. 1 Strip mine both are still active in the records. With the closure of the Oakmont tipple around 1990, the last of the Elk Garden Branch was abandoned and the era of rail coal shipments on Abram's Creek ended. Even with the tipple being closed, I included some Coal Field Directory reports in the 1990s concerning the D & L Coal Company. Many of the mines included in these reports fed into the Oakmont tipple when it was active.

Oakmont, WV

After departing Harrison and passing the various businesses in the vicinity of that place, we enter into the community of Oakmont. Originally known as Oakdale, this small coal company town owes its existence to the Abrams Coal & Coke Company. A few people still live in Oakmont, although many of the old company houses are long gone. This was one of the few locations in the Elk Garden area that wasn't dominated by the Davis Coal & Coke Company, though they did operate a mine nearby. Today, you'd be hard pressed to find any immediate reference that large scale mining once occurred in the area.

Davis Coal & Coke Company Kittanning No. 14 mine

The first operation we'll pass on our trip is the Davis Coal & Coke Company's Kittanning No. 14 mine and tipple. This property was located 0.8 miles from Harrison and was known for a while as "Kittanning Mine". Apparently, 19 cars were able to fit in the spur serving the No. 14 tipple. I won't go into a full fledged history of the Davis Coal & Coke Company, as that would necessitate the equivalent of a large scale monograph. However, I will give a brief summary here. The Davis Coal & Coke Co. was officially incorporated under the laws of West Virginia on December 10th, 1888, to operate coal properties formerly controlled by the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway. Henry Gassaway Davis was the leader of the coal enterprise, and owned thousands of acres of coal rich lands in and around Elk Garden. The oldest mine inherited from the WVC&P was Elk Garden No. 1, which opened all the way back in 1881. The Davis Coal & Coke Co.'s No. 14 mine first opened in 1907, when 16,614 tons of coal were mined and shipped. Coal from the Upper Freeport seam was mined and shipped from the No. 14 tipple. In 1907, H. H. Harrison was the superintendent of the operation, with F. C. Patton serving as the mine foreman. I'm not quite sure why the mine was referred to as "Kittanning" No. 14 considering coal was reported to have been mined from the Upper Freeport seam. In 1910, 71,599 tons of coal were mined from the Kittanning No. 14 mine. In April of 1910, the mine produced, on average, 210 tons of Upper Freeport coal per day. That same year, developments were made into an adjacent mine, known as the Kittanning No. 16 mine. However, no actual mining ever commenced on this property and activities were quickly abandoned. Back to the Kittanning No. 14 mine, 1915 was the operations most productive year, when 82,198 tons of coal were processed and shipped. In 1916, J. E. Ott was the mine superintendent. Unfortunately for Mr. Ott, his last name is synonymous with the worst mine disaster that occurred in the Elk Garden coal fields. I'm referring to the Davis Coal & Coke Co. Ott No. 20 mine explosion that happened in April of 1911. This mine will not be explored on this page as it shipped on the mainline near Blaine, not on the Elk Garden Branch. After 1915, tonnage totals slowly began decreasing. 1918 was the final year the West Virginia Department of Mines received an annual total, that being a measly 1,017 tons of coal. Interesting, some sources state that coal from the mine was from the Upper Kittanning seam. However, the West Virginia Department of Mines reported that coal was always extracted from the Upper Freeport seam. The 1920 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the Kittanning No. 14 mine had officially been closed and abandoned by that time. Thus, coal mining at this property ceased forever, just kidding! Sometime between 1920 and 1923, the Grace Coal Company was incorporated to operate the former Kittanning No. 14 property near Oakmont. This was the sister operation to the nearby Eddy Coal Co. producing in Harrison. 11,500 tons of Upper Freeport coal were mined and shipped by the firm in 1923, the first fiscal year of operation. The 1924 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the company were as follows: C. E. Howard; President, General Manager, General Superintendent, and Purchasing Agent, Howard Cross; Vice President. The Grace Coal Co., in essence was a cleanup job, removing the last bit of economically minable coal from a former large scale Davis Coal & Coke Co. property. Howard Cross would incorporate similar operations mining former Davis Coal & Coke Co. properties in Piedmont and elsewhere in the Elk Garden district. If one were to visit my page covering the coal operations on the former Virginian Railway Piney Creek Extension, the business model of Howard Cross was similar in a lot of ways to that of E. W. Meadows. Regardless, in 1925, after a down year in 1924, when only 1,500 tons of coal were produced, the company churned out 10,375 tons of coal. At this time, the mine had a daily capacity of 100 tons and employed approximately 14 men. For whatever reason, although no tonnage numbers exist in the records beyond 1925, the Coal Field Directory continued to list the firm in their almanac until at least 1930. It does not appear that any further mining activities occurred on this property after the Grace Coal Co. closed up shop after 1925.

Abrams Coal & Coke Company

four tenths of a mile beyond the old Kittanning operation, we pass the property of the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Company. In the January 7th, 1903, edition of The Coal Trade Journal reported that the Abrams Coal & Coke Co. had been incorporated with an authorized capital stock of $30,000. Incorporators were listed as N. M. Ambrose, W. F. Ambrose, W. F. Humer, M. L. Welfly and Z. T. Kalbaugh. Operations began in late 1903, when the Oakdale mine officially opened. This was one of, if not the first, non Davis Coal & Coke Co. operation that existed on the Elk Garden Branch. Two tipples were in operation by the opening date, one presumably loading raw coal, and the other loading some sort of processed coal. 5,000 tons of premium Upper Freeport seam coal were mined from the property in the 1904 fiscal year. In 1907, after 33,209 tons of coal were mined, the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Co. increased capitalization from $30,000 to $100,000. With this increase, various infrastructure investments were made in the property, introducing modern electrical equipment, decreasing the need for pick mining. Thus, the operation became one of the most efficient coal mines in the district. The 1911 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the firm were as follows: A. Spates Brady; General Superintendent, Purchasing Agent, and Mine Engineer, M. V. Manley; Mine Foreman, and J. G. Witt; Electrician. That year, the mine featured its own steam power plant and employed a total of 62 men. By this point, Oakdale was renamed Oakmont, though I'm not sure what caused this change. The 1914 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the Oakmont mine of the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Co. employed 180 men. That year, only 7,822 tons of coal were mined and shipped. Production resumed to historic levels by time the United States entered World War I. 1918 was the company's most productive year, when 90,551 tons of coal were mined and shipped. The 1920 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the company were as follows: S. D. Brady; President and General Manager, Z. T. Kalbaugh; Vice President, A. P. Brady; Treasurer, and Purchasing Agent, William H. Ellis; Mine Engineer, and J. F. Somerville; Mine Foreman. During this year, 150 men were employed at the Oakmont mine and 500 tons were averaged per day. In 1921, S. D. Brady, president of the firm, made the decision to consolidate his coal operations into one, large company. Thus the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Co. was merged into a new firm, known as the Brady Coal Corporation. The 1921 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the executives of the firm were as follows: Samuel D. Brady; President, General Manager, and Consulting Engineer, A. P. Brady; Vice President and Purchasing Agent, Samuel D. Brady, Jr.; Treasurer, Paul Billingslea; Mining Engineer, and Claude McIntyre; Electrical Engineer. 150 men were employed and the Oakmont mine was producing on average 500 tons of coal per day. By 1921, the Brady Coal Corp. operated four mines in West Virginia; at Clay, Brady, Osage, and Oakmont. In 1922, Whitney Warner joined the firm as a partner, coinciding with a corporate name change to the Brady-Warner Coal Corporation. However, tonnage reports out of Oakmont continued to be reported under the Brady Coal Corp. name. In 1922, the first year under Brady-Warner control, the Abrams Creek No. 1 mine produced 20,150 tons of Upper Freeport coal. The West Virginia Geological Society reported that in 1924, upon a visit to sample coal from the Abrams Creek No. 1 mine, the plant was idle, although very modern. The report states that when the plant was active, the mine was churning out about 350 tons of coal per day, with 35 miners and 26 general purpose labors employed. After two unproductive years where the mine was mostly idle, 1925 yielded the firms most productive annual tonnage number, when 23,416 tons of coal were mined and shipped. Unfortunately, the glory days of the Abrams Creek No. 1 mine were running out as by 1927, the facility was nearing its end. That year, only 1,663 tons of coal were mined. The facility was abandoned that year, but didn't stay idle for long. After the property had been closed for about five years, mining restarted under the ownership of the Oakmont Smokeless Fuel Company. This firm had been incorporated on February 2nd, 1932, under the laws of West Virginia. The first tons were extracted during the 1932 fiscal year, with the final yearly total being 16,956 tons. Like the previous mining advancements made on the property, the Oakmont mine of the company exploited coal found in the Upper Freeport seam. In 1933, 25,494 tons of coal were mined. That year, E. D. Lyle was superintendent and John Coleman was mine foreman. The company's most productive year was 1936, it's final year of ownership. 71,089 tons of Upper Freeport seam coal were mined and shipped that year. It should be noted that 71,089 tonnage number officially made the company the most productive operation on the entire Elk Garden Branch that year. In 1937, operations of the Abrams Creek property were under the control of the Ajax Coal Company. Even with this ownership change, E. D. Lyle remained the superintendent of the Oakmont mine. The first year of operation, 6,955 tons of coal were mined and shipped. It should be mentioned that the Oakmont Smokeless Fuel Co. had surrendered its charter on September 21st, 1938. Unfortunately, the second life of the Oakmont mine property was nearing its end, although the plant would continue producing for a couple more years. 1939 was the final year the property was controlled by the Ajax Coal Company. 13,015 tons of Upper Freeport seam coal were mined and shipped from the plant. Walter Iman was the superintendent of the facility at the end of Ajax Coal ownership. In 1940, operations were assumed by the United Coal Company. The property was only active for two years under the United Coal banner, producing 5,586 tons in 1940, the final year of operation. In 1941, the Oakmont property produced its final gasp, when the E. E. Chidester Coal Company operated the Oakmont mine, mining only 66 tons. After 1941, the property was officially mined out and thus, Oakmont, West Virginia, ceased being a coal company town, and simply became a town.

Davis Coal & Coke Company Kittanning No. 15 mine

After passing the relatively large Abrams Creek No. 1 property, we reach the Kittanning No. 15 tipple and mine of the Davis Coal & Coke Company. This was the sister operation to the more productive Kittanning No. 14 property west of Oakmont. Located north of Abrams Creek, coal was transported via a 200 foot plane from the mine to a tipple located just east of the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Co. property. This mine opened in 1908, a year after the Kittanning No. 14 mine began operating. Never a large producer, only 1,766 tons of coal were mined the first year of operation. To run the Kittanning No. 15 mine, Robert Grant was elected superintendent and John Kilroy was chosen as mine foreman. Robert Grant also served as the superintendent of operations at the adjacent Kittanning No. 14 mine. Similar to that aforementioned mine, the Kittanning No. 15 mine operated in the Upper Freeport seam. Unfortunately, the deposit was not as pure at this location and the property was plagued with suboptimal coal. A 1909 mine inspection report stated that the mine had rarely been worked that year. This would become a trend for the property while it was in operation. Even with that report, 1909 was the mine's most productive year, when 11,591 tons of coal were extracted. In 1911, after four unsatisfactory years, the Kittanning No. 15 mine closed after producing a grand total of less than 20,000 tons. A 1911 mine inspection report states that the reasoning for this closure was impure coal that was also too hard to extract with simple pickaxe mining. With this closure, coal mining ceased on the property although operations would resume under a new operator, known as the Mapleville Coal Company, a few years later.

Taylor Coal Company

0.5 miles beyond the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Co. tipple was the operation of the Taylor Coal Company. One of the earliest independent coal operators on the Elk Garden Branch, the first ton of coal was shipped during the 1903 fiscal year. Although many of the records regarding this company state the town of operation as Emoryville, or simply Emory, the tipple was located closer to Oakmont thus its inclusion on this page. I was not able to find an official organization announcement in the records, though, it is likely the firm was created between 1900 and 1903. It appears that this firm began operations prior to the opening of the Oakdale mine of the Abrams Creek Coal & Coke Company. In 1903, 48,000 tons of coal were mined from the Upper Freeport seam. At this time, William Taylor was the superintendent and W. B. McHenry was the mine foreman. According to a 1903 mine inspection report, the entire operation employed fifteen men. Tonnage reports after 1903 came no where near the 48,000 tons produced in that first year. This drop off was apparent in 1904, when only 3,675 tons of coal were mined. Coal production stayed around the 5,000 to 10,000 ton range every succeeding year, until 1907, when the Taylor Coal Co. shipped their last ton of coal. That year, 8,800 tons of premium Upper Freeport coal were mined from the Taylor Mine. In 1908, the property was under the control of the Denman Coal Company, which operated out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Interestingly, very few mining companies in West Virginia were owned by firms incorporated in a foreign state, so this was an unusual occurrence. The November 14th, 1903, edition of The Black Diamond reported that the Denman Coal Company had been incorporated with an authorized capital stock of $25,000. Incorporators were listed as F. Bache, Sansom Gully, J. R. Startzell, H. Denman, I. T. Hilling, and J. B. Hilling. Coinciding with this corporate change, the Taylor mine was renamed as the Denman No. 3 mine. Although the mine received a No. 3 attached to its name, the Denman Coal Co. didn't own any other mines in the area. All other mining properties were located in Arkansas or elsewhere in the Midwest. 1908. the first year owned by the Denman Coal Company, the Denman No. 3 mine produced 6,584 tons of coal. A mine inspection report from 1909 stated that the mine superintendent of the operation was Thomas Taylor, with W. S. Seaman serving as the mine foreman. That year, the mine was mostly idle, with only 1,665 tons of Upper Freeport coal mined. In a 1910 report, the Denman No. 3 mine was listed as having a daily capacity of 125 tons. It is very unlikely this threshold was ever hit while the mine was active. The Denman Coal Co.'s last year operating the Denman No. 3 mine was in 1911, when 8,355 tons of coal were churned out. However, a new mine was planned to be opened on the same coal lease held by the company. This new opening was named the Black Diamond mine and operated in the Lower Freeport seam. Operations began in 1912. Beginning that year, the property was leased to the Carroll Cross Coal Company. Herald back to the Eddy Coal Co. in Harrison and the Grace Coal Co. in Oakmont respectively. All three of these operations listed were controlled by the many times aforementioned Howard Cross. The Black Diamond mine property in Oakmont was one of Howard Cross's earliest owned properties. In 1912, Howard Cross had yet to achieve his success in the Elk Garden coal fields, meaning that in order to finance the operations of his coal mines, he needed a partner. This man was J. C. Pattison. Apparently, Howard Cross and associates only made $550 from this mine during the first four years of operation. Back to 1912, that year, 30,104 tons of coal were mined at the Black Diamond property. J. C. Patterson was the general superintendent with Howard Cross as the mine superintendent. Howard's son Edward "Eddy" Cross was the mine foreman. Yes, this is the same Eddy serving as the namesake for the Eddy Coal Co. looked at previously. Throughout the Black Diamond mine's existence, operations were often consolidated with the Carroll Cross Coal Co.'s other mine in nearby Emoryville named Imperial No. 1. This is one reason I suspect the Black Diamond mine was often regarded as being in Emoryville as stated numerous times in the records. The Imperial No. 1 mine will be explored later. In 1914, J. C. Patterson was succeeded by Carroll Pattison, a relative or possible son of the replaced general manager. 1914 was a lucrative time for the Carroll Cross Coal Co., with the Black Diamond mine producing 35,622 tons of coal and both the Imperial No. 1 and No. 2 mines having their own successful years. 75 men were employed in total across all of the Carroll Cross Coal Co. properties. According to the 1914 edition of the Coal Field Directory, the directors of the Carroll Cross Coal Co. were as follows: Carroll Pattison; President, Treasurer, and Purchasing Agent, Howard Cross; General Manager, Mine Superintendent, and Purchasing Agent. In 1915, the records state that the Imperial mines and the Black Diamond mine had officially been connected underground. This meant that many of the tonnage reports from 1915 onward included coal from both mines. The 1915 report that confirmed this arrangement also stated that, although the mines were connected, coal continued to be poured into rail cars from two separate tipples. These two tipples were the Black Diamond tipple, explored here, and the Imperial tipple, located closer to Emoryville. That year, a combined 39,245 tons of coal were extracted from both properties. The Black Diamond mine was reported as being the more productive of the two mine complexes. Apparently, the Black Diamond mine had a daily capacity of 300 tons while the Imperial mines had a daily capacity of 100 tons. The report mentions that these numbers were never actually met and that production was much lower than capacity. 1917 was the most productive year for the Carroll Cross Coal Company's Emoryville properties. 56,392 tons of Lower Freeport coal were mined from the company's Black Diamond and Imperial mines that fiscal year. the 1920 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the Carroll Cross Coal Co. were as follows: Carroll Pattison; President and Sales Agent, Earle C. Coleman; Treasurer, Howard Cross; General Manager, and Bernard H. Cross; Mining Engineer and Mine Foreman. For some reason, beginning in 1920, the Black Diamond mine began to be referred to as the Cross mine again. Similar arrangements were made in the records, with tonnage from the Cross mine and the Imperial mines consolidated. 65 men were employed in the Cross and Imperial mines in 1920. Interestingly, the Western Maryland Railway still referred to the Cross tipple, formerly the Black Diamond tipple, as the Taylor tipple. In an employee timetable published on June 20th, 1920, the Western Maryland clearly lists the Cross mine tipple as "Taylor Mine". Old habits die hard I suppose. Lower freeport coal continued to be shipped via the Cross mine tipple Oakmont regularly until 1923. That year, a combined 19,173 tons of coal were mined from the Cross and Imperial mines. The West Virginia Department of Mines states that coal would only be shipped out of the Cross one more year after 1923. This was 1926, when 27,639 tons of coal were mined from the Cross and Imperial mines. It is likely that after this one off year, the Cross mine and tipple officially closed, with all coal being extracted and shipped out of the Imperial mine portals in Emoryville.

Mapleville Coal Company

0.1 miles further along Abrams Creek was the coal operation of the Mapleville Coal Company.  It should be noted that the Mapleville Coal Co., operated on property formerly owned by the Davis Coal & Coke Company. Two Davis Coal & Coke Co. mines operated adjacent to the Mapleville No. 1 mine. These were the Kittanning No. 15 and Kittanning No. 18 mines. The Kittanning No. 15 mine was explored earlier and presumably shipped via a different tipple closer to Oakmont. The Kittanning No. 18 mine never appeared to have actually produced any coal. However, development and testing of the mine site began around 1910, about half a dozen years before the Mapleville Coal Co. was incorporated. Although no coal was produced at the Kittanning No. 18 mine, there are mine inspection records that exist reporting on the development of the property. These reports state that while coal conditions were favorable, no mining had actually commenced due to gassy conditions in the mine. These reports will be included in the Mapleville Coal Co. primary source collection featured below. As a note, the Davis Coal & Coke Co. operated another No. 18 mine, up near Piedmont, though this mine closed in 1905. Back to the Mapleville Coal Company, the The May 19th, 1917, edition of Coal Age reported that the firm had been incorporated with an authorized capital stock of $20,000. According to state records, the official date of incorporation was April 16th, 1917. Incorporators were listed as O. D. Harris, J. R. Norman, and W. W. Harris. This firm was controlled by O. D. Harris, a local mine owner who already operated a property further up Abrams Creek close to Emoryville Station. Land was leased from the Davis Coal & Coke Company adjacent to where the worked out Kittanning No. 15 and Kittanning No. 18 mines once existed. It should be noted that, although the Mapleville No. 1 mine operated on the same tract of the aforementioned Davis Coal & Coke Co. properties, it is unlikely that the Mapleville Coal Co. used one of the tipples formerly operated by the Davis Coal & Coke Company. In the fiscal year of 1917, the first year of operation, 1,127 tons of coal were mined from the Bakerstown seam. Interestingly, records state that much of the coal produced by the Mapleville Coal Co. was sold to the Western Maryland as locomotive fuel for use on the Elk Garden Branch. The Mapleville No. 1 mine of the company operated for over a decade, yet never produced over 10,000 tons of coal. In 1920, 4,431 tons of Bakerstown coal was mined and shipped; mostly to the Western Maryland Railway. That year, the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the company were as follows: J. R. Norman; President, Treasurer, and Purchasing Agent, W. W. Harris; Vice President, O. D. Harris; General Manager, and General Superintendent. At that time, 15 men were employed by the company. 1921 was the company's most productive year, when 9,241 tons of coal were produced. Operations continued into the late 1920s, with the last few tons shipped in 1928. The company was official dissolved on November 12th, 1930.

Crosstown, WV

After passing through Oakmont and the coal companies that resided there, we approach the small company town of Crosstown. Unsurprisingly to those that have been following this journey, Crosstown owes its name and founding to Howard Cross and his associates. Although often consolidated into nearby Emoryville, I've included Crosstown on this page at it carries the unique distinction of still being visible on Google Maps. Emoryville, one of the largest towns once situated on the Elk Garden Branch, no longer appears on Google Maps, although it is still visible on other modern maps. Today, Crosstown no longer features any sort of town identity, and consists only of ruins and lost memories.

Carroll Cross Coal Company Imperial mines

0.4 miles beyond the tipple of the Mapleville Coal Company, we arrive at the Imperial tipple of the Carroll Cross Coal Company. This complex was the sister operation of the Black Diamond mine explored in the Oakmont section, with the two properties often consolidated in official reports and tonnage records. Since much of the history of the Imperial mines coincide with the Black Diamond mine, this examination will be less thorough and more concise. In 1913, the first fiscal year coal was mined by the Carroll Cross Coal Company, 10,000 tons of premium Lower Freeport seam coal were extracted from the Imperial No. 1 mine. The Imperial No. 2 mine, which was connected to the Imperial No. 1 mine, produced 2,140 tons. That year, there were six pick miners employed at the Imperial No. 1 mine while eight pick miners were employed at the Imperial No. 2 mine. Low and behold, Howard Cross was the first superintendent of the mine, with Harry Cross as the mine foreman. The 1914 Inspection Report recorded in the West Virginia Department of Mines report for that year stated that the Imperial mines were capable of producing 100 tons of coal per day, though this number realistically was not met. Since the Imperial No. 1 and Imperial No. 2 mines were often consolidated together in the records, it is hard to state which working was more productive. Regardless, both mines were producing from the start of operation in 1913. As mentioned in the Carroll Cross Coal Co. Black Diamond section, after 1914, tonnage reports for the Imperial mines and the Black Diamond mine were combined. This trend ended in 1924 when the Black Diamond mine was idled. That year, the Imperial mines produced 15,777 tons of coal. That year, the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the company were as follows: Carroll Pattison; President and Sales Agent, Earle C. Coleman; Treasurer, Howard Cross; General Manager, Bernard H. Cross; Mine Superintendent and Mine Engineer. Bernard was one of Howard Cross' sons who followed in their father's footsteps, entering the coal industry. The other notable brother was Edward Cross, namesake of the Eddy Coal Company explored in the Harrison section. 1925 was the Imperial mines most productive year, with 48,984 tons of coal being produced. After the Black Diamond mine, known then as the Cross mine, was temporary reopened during 1926, the Imperial mines once again became the sole active mines operated by the company. 1928 was the last year the Imperial mines were actively producing, when 4,134 tons of coal were mined and shipped by the company. The the mines at Crosstown sat idle until 1931, when the Imperial Coal Company restarted the Imperial mine, producing 3,650 tons of coal. Information about this operation is hard to come by, though it appears that the firm actively produced for only that singular year. Beyond 1931, no deep coal mining was to occur on this property. I say deep coal mining, as much of the land tracts were leased to strip mining companies later in the century.

Hartmansville Junction, WV

A few hundred feet above Crosstown is a railroad location known as Hartmansville Junction. Here, the Hartmansville Branch of the  West Virginia Central & Pittsburg, later Western Maryland, began, terminating a few miles further south, near the head of Abrams Creek. This branch mostly served lumber interests, although there were a few prominant mines that shipped via this route. The first load of coal traversed the Hartmansville Branch on March 21st, 1903. The only major town located on this branch was known as Wabash, and was where the main coal shipper operated. The actual community of Hartmansville sat east of the branch's terminus, but the railroad still called the end of the line Hartmansville. We will head down this branch to check out the companies operating along it before continuing up to Elk Garden.

Wabash, WV

Just about two and a half miles down the Hartmansville Branch is the small town of Wabash. This community was created to house workers employed at the Davis Coal & Coke Company's Wabash No. 9 mine. It is likely that the Wabash name came from the Gould Syndicate who owned the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg at the time of the mine's opening. However, there were also a number of mines named "Wabash" located near Blaine on the mainline of the Thomas Subdivision that could have influenced the naming of this town. Those mines were not owned by the Davis Coal & Coke Company, and were operated by the Wabash & Potomac Coal Company. Regardless, today, Wabash does not appear on any maps and appears to be a ghost town. The only reference that the town ever existed at all is a nearby road named "Walbash Road".

Love Coal Company

The first coal tipple we meet on our trip down the Hartmansville Branch is the operation of the Love Coal Company. The July 21st, 1920, edition of the Coal Trade Journal reported that the Love Coal Co. had been incorporated with an authorized capital stock of $25,000. Incorporators were listed as Frances Love, William Clark, John Burdock, Edward Achinson, James E. Cross, and Howard Cross. Yep, this enterprise was yet another firm controlled by Howard Cross and his associates. The December 18th, 1920, edition of the Black Diamond includes an informative report on the operations controlled by Cross and his associates and features a writeup on the Love Coal Company. Still in its development phase, the article states that Howard Cross and partners funded the construction, or reconstruction, of a standard gauge branch down to the tipple of the company near Wabash. This is interesting, as it appears that the Hartmansville Branch was partially abandoned, or at least placed out of service, after the Wabash No. 9 mine closed in 1912. The directors of the new company believed that the new operation would average 25 cars a month at full capacity. The 1921 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that 2,407 tons of coal were mined in 1920. However, the West Virginia Department of Mines does not contain any tonnage reports regarding this company until 1924. According to the 1921 edition of the Coal Field Directory, James E. Cross was the president of the firm, with John Burdock serving as vice president. Ed. Atchison was the treasurer and F. H. Love served as the general manager, general superintendent, and purchasing agent of the property. 15 men were employed by the company, with coal being mined by hand. As mentioned previously, no tonnage reports were officially recorded until 1924, when 1,799 tons of coal were mined by the firm. A geographical survey report from that same year stated the Wabash mine had a daily capacity of 50 tons. After 1924, it doesn't appear that the Love Coal Co. shipped any more coal.

Davis Coal & Coke Company Wabash No. 9 mine

Beyond the operation of the Love Coal Company, we approach the Davis Coal & Coke Company's Wabash No. 9 mine complex. Also known as Elk Garden No. 9 or simply, mine No. 9. This operation was the first to ship coal on the Hartmansville Branch, churning out its first ton in 1903. March 21st, 1903, was opening day for the branch, when a number of coal hoppers loaded with Pittsburg seam coal from the No. 9 mine were transported up to Harrison at the mouth of the Elk Garden Branch. At that point in time, the railroad was still owned and operated by the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad, although the Gould's were in control by then. This mine exploited arguably the most profitable and famous coal seam in the Elk Garden mining district. The famous Pittsburg, or Big Seam, coal seam. This coal formation could stretch between 11 and 14 feet high and was labeled as such in a 1903 inspectors report covering this operation. Lee Ott was noted as the superintendent and mine foreman of the working. As a side note, although the Davis Coal & Coke Company's properties in Thomas, Elk Garden proper, and Coketon are arguably the more well known operations, the Wabash No. 9 mine was the most productive mine owned by the company for six years, between 1905 and 1911. In 1905, 171,887 tons of coal were produced at the No. 9 mine. The second most productive mine that year was the Elk Garden No. 6 mine, which also shipped over the Elk Garden Branch and will be explored later. In 1906, the West Virginia Department of Mines reported that the Wabash No. 9 mine had a daily capacity of 1,200 tons. This amount was unheard of for the era and helped solidify the Davis Coal & Coke Co. as one of the largest coal enterprises in the country. The mine's most productive year was 1909, when 214,14 tons of Big Seam coal were extracted from the property. Unfortunately, productivity at the mine began to decrease after this date due to resource depletion. A 1911 inspection report covering the Wabash No. 9 stated that the mine was just about worked out. 1912 was the final year of operation, when a measly 16,179 tons of coal were mined. Today, little remains from this operation, one of the largest in all of Mineral County. 

Hartmansville, WV

At the terminus of the Hartmansville Branch, we unsuprisingly reach the town of Hartmansville. Not really actually, Hartmansville is further east, as the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg never built to the actual town itself. I'm not quite sure what industries, if any were actually located here. It doesn't appear that there were any coal shippers near the terminus, though the Davis Coal & Coke Company did own the rights to mine coal in the area. I guess that the coal deposits in the area weren't economical to explore, at least at the time the branch was in place. It is likely that if there were any industries in the vicinity of Hartmansville and the branch, they were probably lumber related as a number of lumber firms operated on the line throughout its existance. Nowadays, there isn't anything left near where the railroad itself terminated, although the town of Hartmansville continues to exist.

Emoryville, WV

Heading back north to Hartmansville Junction, our next stop is the community of Emoryville. Although the Davis Coal & Coke Company never operated a mine in the vicinity of this community, there were almost a dozen different mines, most small, that shipped by rail nearby. Many were local operations that only operated for a few years. It is likely that the town was originally built to house lumber workers employed at the mill of the Potomac Lumber Company. This firm had its own tramway that ventured deep into the forests up Emory Creek. Adjacent to Emoryville were two other locations of interest, these being a point known as Angle, likely where the railroad paralleled the switchback heading up to Elk Garden, as well as a point known as Switchback, where the actual switchback was located. Due to the sharp grades leading up to the plateau at Elk Garden, a switchback was necessary for regular steam locomotives to traverse the harsh mountain terrain. Interestingly, the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg did own one of Lima Locomotive Works' Shay geared locomotives, although it likely operated further south, near Belington, West Virginia. Regardless, Emoryville continues to exist today, although the population has understandably fallen since the glory days if the 1920s.

Bakertown Coal Company

0.1 miles east of Emoryville Station was the tipple of the Bakertown Coal Company. This operation was likely located at Angle siding west of the Switchback. State records show that the firm was official incorporated on July 19th, 1916. This was yet another Howard Cross property, established after the Carroll Cross Coal Company's mines closer to Oakmont were beginning to see some resemblance of profitability. Miners and laborers employed at the complex likely lived in either Emoryville or Crosstown. In 1917, the first year tonnage was reported to the West Virginia Department of Mines, 7,912 tons of Bakerstown seam coal were mined. Like many of the mines situated around Emoryville, the Bakertown Coal Co. was a small operation, never cresting 10,000 tons during its 14 year existence. The 1920 edition of the Coal Field Directory reported that the directors of the company were as follows: James E. Cross; President and Vice President, Earl C. Coleman; Treasurer, Howard E. Cross; General Manager and General Superintendent, C. P. Doyle; Mining Engineer. Carroll Pattison, longtime partner of Howard Cross, served as the sales agent for the company. Interestingly, Charles Clise, who would later operate his own mines in Emoryville, was serving as the mine foreman of the Bakertown mine in 1920. Eight men were employed by the firm in 1920. The June 2nd, 1921, edition of the Manufacturers' Record reported that the Bakertown Coal Company had increased its capital valuation from $5,000 to $25,000. In 1921, the Bakertown mine was sold to Charles Clise and was renamed the Clise mine of the Clise Brothers Coal Company. This wasn't the end of the Bakertown Coal Co. however, as a new mine was dug on the same property named the Arthur mine. Arthur Jack, the foreman of this new mine, served as its namesake. In 1924, the Coal Field Directory reported that the Arthur mine of the Bakertown Coal Co. employed 25 men and had a daily capacity of 150 tons. That year, the directors of the firm were all the same, save for a few exceptions. W. C. Brown had succeeded C. P. Doyle as the mine engineer and F. M. Kitzmiller has replaced Charles Clise as the mine foreman. Mr. Clise had likely left the firm to run his own mines, which will be explored later. After an idle period, 1925 was the company's most productive year, when 8,232 tons of coal were mined at the property. The Arthur mine would continue producing until 1931, when only 950 tons of coal were mined. This was the last year the Bakertown Coal Co. operated, with the property subsequently abandoned and eventually reclaimed. The company was officially dissolved on May 12th, 1931.