National Register of Historic Places

Coal House

Williamson, Mingo County, West Virginia
Listed
March 6, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80004297

About this property

The Coal House in Williamson, West Virginia is a unique building built of coal masonry. The bituminous coal 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 Hassel T. Hicks of Welch, West Virginia 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, 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. 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.

Location

2nd Ave. and Court St.
Williamson, Mingo County, West Virginia
37.67204, -82.27777

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Mountaineer Hotel
Industrial
0.1 mi
Williamson Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi
Smith, Elven C., House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Williamson Field House
Industrial
1 mi
Price, R. T., House
Industrial
1.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Matewan Massacre
1920Frontier
6.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Coal House listed on the National Register?

Coal House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Coal House?

Coal House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Coal House?

The period of significance for Coal House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Coal House?

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