MCDOWELL - GREENBRIER , WV COAL MINING COMMUNITY INDEX

Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company By Buddy French :

The Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company was chartered on February 6, 1892,
with I. T. Mann and Justus Collins being the principal stockholders. On
May 2, 1892, Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company took out a coal lease in the Pocahontas
No. 3 coal seam totaling 492 acres and began shipping coal in 1893. Their
coal lease was increased to 819 acres in later years. The mining complex
and its community were located at McDowell, West Virginia. There were
three coal companies at McDowell with each having its own community.
They were the McDowell Coal & Coke Company, Arlington Coal Coke
Company and the Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company. All three
communities used the McDowell post office for their address. The
Greenbrier mine was situated approximately one mile up the hollow from
McDowell. Like most mines in that area, it had a large coking operation
with 200 coke ovens. By 1900, the coal company had constructed more
than sixty homes for its coal miners and their families. Greenbrier's coal
camp houses began in McDowell and ran parallel with the N&W branch
line. Houses extended approximately three quarters of a mile into what
soon became known as Greenbrier Hollow. During the mines forty-year
life span between 1893 and 1933, it produced 6,199,623 tons of coal.

Your author recently did a virtual tour of Greenbrier Hollow using Google
Earth, street view. At one time houses were lined up as far as the eye
could see in this hollow. Today, the company store and most of those
original company houses are gone. No longer will you see or hear a steam
engine coming down out of this hollow with a long line of loaded coal cars.
No longer will you see the black smoke swirling into the air or hear the
squeal of coal cars brakes as they rumble downgrade. But what you may
hear is the sound of ATVs. Admittedly, your author expected to see a
deserted and depressed area after the end of the coal industry here.
Instead, he found a beautifully landscaped Greenbrier Hollow as his virtual
tour took him up the road that was once the former N&W railroad grade.
Even in the vacant areas where homes once stood, you now see lush green lawns.
To his left and across a small creek, he came upon a smattering of still occupied coal
camp homes. These houses that were constructed in 1890 were very well maintained,
and some had been repurposed as ATV resorts. One mile up the hollow is the location
of the former Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company tipple and mine site. The only remaining
evidence of this mining operation today is a slate dump. The ATV industry in Northfork
Hollow has been a major economic boost to this area. It also brought back long forgotten
memories of a booming coal induatry that once existed here.

Many thanks to Alex Schust and his book "Billion Dollar Coalfield where much more
much more interesting history on the Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company can bd found.

The Greenbrier Coal & Coke Company was chartered Feb. 6, 1892 with ISAAC T. MANN and JARIUS COLLINS being the principal shareholders.  They established the company in Northfork Hollow in McDowell County, West Virginia. 

Jairus Collins - Coal Baron

Isaac T. Mann - Industralist & Banker

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY: BUDDY FRENCH

MCDOWELL - GREENBRIER, WV COAL MINING COMMUNITY (PAGE 1 OF 2)

ADDITIONAL COAL MINING OMMUNITIES INDEX

MASTER INDEX FILE