Richard is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Monongalia County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, United States.
Mining Operations
In 1903 the West Virginia Coal Company established what would become the Richard Mine to fuel 75
beehive coke ovens previously constructed at the site.
Stephen B. Elkins acquired the mine three year later. Coal and coke from the Richard Mine was initially transported via the
Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad, which was owned by Stephen B. Elkins at the time, before being transferred to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
for delivery to the steel mills at Sparrow's Point near
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
.
Sparrow's Point was purchased by the
Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1914. The Penn-Mary Company, a subsidiary of the Bethlehem Steel, acquired the Richard Mine in 1919. The mine operated under ownership of Bethlehem Steel until it closed. At its peak, in 1942, the mine employed 500+ people and produced over 600,000 tons of coal. Technological advancements eventually rendered beehive ovens obsolete and the Richard mine finally closed in 1952.
The area around the mine's former site has become mostly residential with a few businesses. The former company store, the former company office building, and many houses built by the company have survived and are still in use.
Remediation effort
The defunct Richard Mine is the single largest source of acid mine drainage into Deckers Creek watershed. Each year the mine discharges 730,500 pounds of acidity, 140,000 pounds of iron, 59,000 pounds of aluminum and 3,200 pounds of manganese.
The Richard Mine acid mine drainage treatment plant began operation April 15, 2024. The Richard Mine Complex will become the central hub to remotely control other treatment sites. WVU Water Research Institute is conducting an experiment at the facility to extract rare earth elements for the acid mine drainage.
References
External links
Photos of beehive coke ovensPhoto of Miner housingPhoto of mining operations
Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
Unincorporated communities in Monongalia County, West Virginia
{{MonongaliaCountyWV-geo-stub