ELBERT, WV - GARY NO. 7 INDEX
The following paragraph was written for Wilcoe (No.1) and Wilcoe railroad yard.
U. S. Steel obtained a coal lease of 50,000 acres that began here at Tug River and extended several miles southward that contained the world-famous Pocahontas No.3 coal seam. But before coal shipments could begin, United States Steel had to reach an agreement with the N&W Railroad for them to build its Tug Fork Branch railroad to reach the mining operations. The U. S. Coal & Coke Company's mining complex was destined to become known as the largest in the world and the railroad needed a railcar assembly yard and steam engine service facility to accommodate a mining operation of this size. Approximately one-half mile downstream of the Tug River community, the N&W Railroad built that facility. That railyard was named Wilcoe Yard, in honor of William W. Coe, the chief Civil Engineer for the N&W Railroad. By 1910, a large coal mining community had been constructed at Tug Rivier and on April 1, 1910, the post office was renamed Wilcoe. This and much more historical information about the U. S. Coal & Coke Company in McDowell County West Virginia can be found in the book "Gary Hollow" by Alex Schust.
Elbert was always part of all the Gary Hollow coal company communities. In 1950, the charter for U. S. Coal & Coke Company, a subsidiary company of U. S. Steel, was dissolved and U. S. Steel took over direct operations in Gary Hollow. In 1971, they decided to sell all the company houses they owned. They also gave the residents of Gary Hollow the option of incorporating into a town and taking over the infrastructure and services that U. S. Steel had been taking care of. The residents voted in favor of incorporating and elected a mayor. All the Gary Hollow communities, including Elbert, became part of the city of Gary but U. S. Steel continued operating their mining operations at No.2, No.10, No.4, No.9 and No.14. There were originally twelve mining operations in Gary Hollow but in the 1940's, U. S. Steel built communities and mines at No.13 (Moses) and No.14 (Munson). These two mines and their communities are now gone and are not included in the city of Gary nor was No.12 at Anawalt.
Construction of the Elbert community expanded quickly, and a Post office was applied for in 1907. The population was estimated to have grown to 2,000 residents. The Elbert community was a great place to live during that era. It had a company store, a large Recreation Center that included a movie theatre, bowling alley, pool hall, restaurant, dance hall, post office and barber shop. The homes were well built and of different colors and Architectual designs. There was a baseball field, two schools and multiple churches of different denominations. Although the No.7 mine closed in 1944, residents of the Elbert community worked in different mines in Gary Hollow and the community continued to thrive until 1960. A slack in the demand for coal and mechanization in the mines had reduced the size of the work force. The coal company decided to begin tearing down whole neighborhoods in Gary Hollow because many houses were now vacant. Today, only the Clubhouse and the neighborhood of Seven Bottom still exist and approximately 80% of the homes in Elbert are gone.
Elbert was named for Judge Elbert Henry Gary. He was a lawyer and one of the original founders of U. S. Steel Corporation in 1902. In 1905, U. S. Steel's newly formed subsidiary company, U. S. Coal & Coke Company, began construction on its Gary No.7 and No.8 mining complexes at Elbert. The No.7 mine was assigned 2,900 acres in the Pocahontas No.4 coal seam and by 1944 the coal seam had been mined out and the mine was shut down. The No.8 mine was assigned 2,214 acres in the Pocahontas No.4 coal seam and operated off and on until the early 1970's although in the later years its coal was being pulled through to the No.9 mine and its tipple at Filbert.
Text provided by: Buddy French
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A FICTIONAL STORY - "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COAL CAMP"