The Coal House in

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in and the county seat of Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,042 at the 2020 census. and is the county's largest and most populous city. Williamson is home to ...

is a unique building built of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

masonry. The

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...

was quarried as blocks and dressed as stone using 65 tons of coal from the nearby Winifrede Seam. At the time of its construction it was the only coal building in West Virginia. The house was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Hassel T. Hicks of

Welch, West Virginia Welch is a city in and the county seat of McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,590 at the 2020 census. Welch was incorporated as a city in 1893. History Welch was incorporated in 1893 and named after Isaiah A. W ...

and supervised by David M. Goode. The coal masonry was varnished for weather-resistance. Located adjacent to the Mingo County Courthouse, it houses the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce. The building's construction in 1933 was organized as a publicity stunt by O. W. Evans of the

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

, who wished to create a symbol of the "Billion Dollar Coalfield" centered on Williamson. While it is known as the "Coal House", it has never been a residence. West Virginia's second coal house was built in 1959 in

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in and the county seat of Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. History Lewisburg is named after Andrew Lewis (American general), Andrew Lewis. In 1751 Lewis, as a youn ...

. On October 11, 2010, the Coal House caught fire. There was extensive damage to the inside of the building and minimal damage to the outside structure. Following $200,000 of restoration work the Coal House was reopened in September 2011.

References

External links

Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce
Buildings and structures completed in 1933 Buildings and structures in Mingo County, West Virginia Coal mining in Appalachia National Register of Historic Places in Mingo County, West Virginia Norfolk and Western Railway Novelty buildings in West Virginia Roadside attractions in West Virginia Vernacular architecture in West Virginia Tourist attractions in Mingo County, West Virginia 1933 establishments in West Virginia Publicity stunts {{MingoCountyWV-NRHP-stub