Keystone, WV location is between Northfolk, WV and Kimbell, WV.
Keystone was founded in 1892 by the Keystone Coal & Coke Company. Keystone was then incorporated in 1909 by the Circuit Court of McDowell County. Its name is derived from the name of the coal and coke company operating at that point. This community was formerly known as Cassville.
Known for its vibrant and tumultuous atmosphere, Keystone earned a reputation as a wild and lawless town. During its heyday, the town was a bustling epicenter of vice and revelry, where prostitution, alcohol, and gambling were rampant.
Keystone, West Virginia - By Buddy French:
In August 1888, the Norfolk & Western Railroad opened a tunnel through Flat Top Mountain in Mercer County West Virginia that exited into McDowell County. By 1890, the railroad had begun its rapid westward expansion down the Elkhorn Valley. Multiple mining operations and their communities along the railroads route quickly sprang up. At a location nine miles down the valley from the railroad tunnel, the Keystone Coal & Coke Company had already incorporated on July 11, 1890, in anticipation of the railroad's arrival. The company had taken out a coal lease in the Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam and was eager to begin coal mining operations. Mine portals were opened, and a wooden coal tipple was constructed, and the coal company began shipping coal on June 21, 1892. A total of 219 coke ovens, for coking the coal, were constructed at its mining operation.
A good size supporting community soon developed near the coal tipple, and it was given the name Keystone for the coal company operating there. With its rapid growth, Jewish entrepreneurs began arriving and establishing businesses in the community. As the mining operation expanded, so did the need for more coal miners. Passenger trains were arriving with men from distant northeastern cities, along with African Americans from the south in search of jobs. Because of its rapid growth, Keystone was incorporated as a town in 1896 and by 1900 the population had grown to over a thousand residents. In 1909, Keystone was reincorporated as a city. In some respects, Keystone in its early days probably took on the appearance of a wild west town. Soon there was a proliferation of between fifteen and twenty saloons and several houses of prostitution. An area that became known as "Cinder Bottom" was where the prostitution was located. It was here where Keystone became infamously known for prostitution. It's been stated that Cinder Bottom was given that name because in the early days, this was where the cinders and ash from the coal company's coke ovens were dumped.
Keystone also had a well-established and prosperous business district that had more notable distinctions that have often been overlooked. The town had the first black mayor in West Virginia. The "McDowell Times" was the states leading minority newspaper and Minnie Buckingham Harper, who lived in Keystone, was America's first female African American legislator. Minnie Buckingham Harper - Wikipedia
During the ensuing years, the coal company continued to expand and soon became one of the largest coal producers in the county. The company's name changed several times over the years but eventually became Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates. The original wooden tipple had been replaced with a steel tipple in the 1920's and a modern coal preparation tipple was constructed by the 1950's. In 1964, your author had first-hand experience with the Keystone mine. He delivered several tons of "rock dust" a day, five days a week, to the Keystone mine. (Wikipedia) Rock dust is a pulverized rock, usually limestone, sprayed on walls inside underground coal mines to prevent coal dust explosions. The dust acts as a heat sink, keeps coal dust levels down, and also prevents the incidence of black lung disease. Rock dust has been used since the early 1900s, but technological improvements have occurred.
Many thanks to Alex Schust where much more historical Keystone information can be found in his book "Billion Dollar Coalfield". His publishing company can be contacted at twomule@comcast.net
|
This Keystone, WV index contains 3 pages of enhanced community photographs, linked below that were furnished by: Buddy French