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NUTTALLBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Located in the New River Gorge, the town of Nuttallburg was one of several coal towns that sprung up in the Gorge after the C&O Railroad was completed through the area. John Nuttall, an entrepreneur from England, arrived in the area in 1870 in search of coal-rich land.
Nuttall began buying land along Keeney’s Creek and opened a mine in what was known as Nuttallburg in 1873. Nuttallburg was the second mining town in the New River Gorge to ship out smokeless coal, the town of Quinnimont being the first.
The town prospered for many years and when John Nuttall died in 1897 his heirs took over.
In the 1920s, Henry Ford tried to buy coal mines to fuel his steel mills. Ford also wanted to control all aspects of production in mines, railroads, and factories, a process known as vertical integration. Ford saw the potential in the Nuttallburg operation, so he decided to buy the mine and build a more modern bias for more efficient operations.
Henry Ford himself visited the town of Nuttallburg to check out his new venture in West Virginia. He arrived in the city in his luxurious private carriage, Fair Lane. He explored the city and talked to the residents and gave them advice on how to improve the city and its facilities.
By 1928, it was clear that Ford could not control or authorize the purchase of railroads or railroad mines. As a result, he sold all of his holdings in Nuttallburg. The town continued to operate for another 30 years until the mine ceased operations in 1958.
Today, Nuttallburg is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
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