History of Southeast Ohio's Coal-Mining Industry

I grew up in Ohio's coal-mining country (Belmont County) in the 1950s and 1960s. I knew firsthand what the industry was like, how it treated people, and the land. In a nutshell: not so well, but it was a source of income to many families in the region.

"To the person not a native of the coal regions, it is difficult to comprehend how completely coal mining dominated every aspect of the life and physical appearance of the communities in the coal counties. At the peak of hard coal mining, patch towns were as ubiquitous as the breakers and mines. The term "patch town" originated with the custom of the wives of the miners having small garden patches to supplement the meager wages of their husbands. These patch towns were constructed by the mine owners to house the throngs of immigrants from various European nations who were recruited to work in the mines. The houses were built cheaply and crudely near to the mine workings so that the miners could walk to work." Eric McKeever

Click here to read more about the history of the industry in the region.

Click here to read what the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources has to say about the history of coal mining in Ohio.