Booth - Bowen Coal Tipple,

BOOTH-BOWEN COAL COMPANY

The Booth - Bowen Coal tipple was located just north of Freeman,WV, close to what is now Rt. 52 toward Welch. The Booth - Bowen Coal Company was the fourth mine to be established in the famous Poachontas-Flat Topcoal fields of southern West Virginia. It was started in 1884 with the first mine running near Freeman, WV. A year later William and James Booth, along with James Taylor secured the lease on the land at Freeman, WV, where the Booth-Bowen mine opened. The first president of the company was William Booth. The vice president and general manager was J. P. Bowen ( 1830 - 1902 ). Mr. Bowen who migrated from Wales operated the company for many years. In the 1920s William L. Osborne was the superintendent of the Tipple .

The company held 1038 acres of land at Freeman , adjoining to the town of Bramwell. The Booth - Bowen Company operated one mine which was equipped with the most modern mining equipment. The mine had a daily capacity of 600 tons of coal and during 1929 mined and shipped a total of 220,716 tons of coal. The company employed 150 men.

CASWELL CREEK COAL COMPANY ( No Available Picture)

A third coal company known as the Caswell Creek Coal Company also operated in Freeman with a third company store also located in that community. The Caswell Creek Mine opened in 1884 by Jenkin Jones and John Freeman. Both these men were of foreign birth. Freeman was born in England and Jones in Wales. The company mine was also located on Simmons Creek near Freeman. Their equipment was orignally one mule, one mining car and a few pick and shovels. The tipple was a simple wooden structure. Both these men dug coal in the mine to get it started.They ran the business as a co-partnership until 1889, when the Caswell Creek Coal and Coke Company was organized to take over the property of the Simmons Creek Mine. In 1907 these companies were incorporated under one corporation: The Pocahontas Coal Company, Inc.