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NUTTALLBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The town of Nuttallburg located in the New River Gorge was one of the many coal towns that sprung up in the Gorge when the C&O Railway was completed in the area. Businessman John Nuttall, from England, arrived in the area in 1870 and was looking for land rich in coal.
Nuttall began buying land along Keeney’s Creek and opened a mine in what was called Nuttallburg in 1873. Nuttallburg was the second mining town in the New River Gorge to ship “smokeless” coal, the town of Quinnimont being the first .
The town prospered for many years, and when John Nuttall died in 1897, his heirs took over operations.
In the 1920s, Henry Ford sought to purchase coal mines to provide fuel for his steel mills. Ford also wanted to control all aspects of production from the mines, railroads, and mills called vertical integration. Ford saw the potential in the Nuttallburg operation, so he decided to buy the mine and build a more modern tipple for a more efficient operation.
Henry Ford himself visited the town of Nuttallburg to inspect his new venture in West Virginia. He arrived in town on his luxurious private train, the “Fair Lane.” He explored the town and talked to the residents and gave them advice on how to improve the town and its facilities.
By 1928, it was clear that Ford could neither control nor buy the railroad or the many mines along the railroad. As a result, he sold all interests in Nuttallburg. The town continued for another 30 years until the mine ceased operations in 1958.
Today, Nuttallburg is part of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.
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