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Difference between revisions of "Besoco, West Virginia"
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[[Image:Besoco-Lego-Pickshin-Lillybrook-Princewick.jpg|thumb|1929 map of Besoco and vicinity]] | [[Image:Besoco-Lego-Pickshin-Lillybrook-Princewick.jpg|thumb|1929 map of Besoco and vicinity]] | ||
| − | + | Besoco was established as a company owned mining town in about 1916, along Stone Coal Creek in [[Raleigh County]]. The town name of Besoco from derived from the coal company's name, i.e., '''Be'''ckley '''S'''m'''o'''keless '''Co'''al Company. | |
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| + | The Beckley Smokeless Coal Company began shipping coal from its Besoco mine in July of 1916. The operation was a drift mine, working the Beckley seam, working on a 1,000 acre lease that extended from [[Raleigh County]] into [[Wyoming County]]. The early tipple was constructed of wood, and equipped with a picking table with reciprocating feed, adjusted for shaker screen. The company's power house was a galvanized structure, that supplied 100 horsepower. | ||
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| + | Shipments from the tipple were made via both the Virginia Railway (VGN) and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O). The early coal mines in the Besoco area transported coal to market via the Stone Coal Sub-Division, a branch line railroad jointly operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and the Virginian Railway. | ||
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| + | The coal company built a two-story structure, that housed a movie theater with a stage large enough for vaudeville acts, which also housed a bowling alley, ice cream parlor, cigar stand, and barber shop, in about 1917. Circa 1917, Beckley Smokeless Coal employed 120 at its Besoco operation, who lived in 34 company built houses. All houses were fenced "free of charge" and gardening and light farming was encouraged by the company, which provided "gratis" fertilizers and teams for plowing the soil. | ||
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| + | ===Sources=== | ||
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| + | [1] The Raleigh Register, Aug. 30, 1917, p. 34 | ||
Revision as of 14:57, 22 August 2016
Besoco was established as a company owned mining town in about 1916, along Stone Coal Creek in Raleigh County. The town name of Besoco from derived from the coal company's name, i.e., Beckley Smokeless Coal Company.
The Beckley Smokeless Coal Company began shipping coal from its Besoco mine in July of 1916. The operation was a drift mine, working the Beckley seam, working on a 1,000 acre lease that extended from Raleigh County into Wyoming County. The early tipple was constructed of wood, and equipped with a picking table with reciprocating feed, adjusted for shaker screen. The company's power house was a galvanized structure, that supplied 100 horsepower.
Shipments from the tipple were made via both the Virginia Railway (VGN) and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O). The early coal mines in the Besoco area transported coal to market via the Stone Coal Sub-Division, a branch line railroad jointly operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and the Virginian Railway.
The coal company built a two-story structure, that housed a movie theater with a stage large enough for vaudeville acts, which also housed a bowling alley, ice cream parlor, cigar stand, and barber shop, in about 1917. Circa 1917, Beckley Smokeless Coal employed 120 at its Besoco operation, who lived in 34 company built houses. All houses were fenced "free of charge" and gardening and light farming was encouraged by the company, which provided "gratis" fertilizers and teams for plowing the soil.
...
Beckley Smokeless Coal Company
1917-1920: No. 1 and 2 (Besoco)
1920: Beckley Smokeless Coal Co., Nos. 1 & 2, Besoco P.O.
...
1920: Clyde Pocahontas Coal Co., Nos. 1 & 2, Besoco P.O.
1919-20: Clyde Pocahontas Coal Company, Nos. 1 & 2
....
Leccony Smokeless Coal Co., circa 1933
1933-1951: Besoco mine
1948: Besoco Nos. 2 & 3
1943-45: Besoco & Poca. No. 3
1925-1929: Beckley And Clyde mines
1928-1939: Beckley mine
Variant Names for Besoco, WVNone |
MapView a larger version of this map. |
Additional Sources of Information
The following article about the Bescoco mining operations of the Beckley Smokeless Coal Company from The Black Diamond, Vol. 62 can be read and downloaded (PDF) at Google Books.
Sources
[1] The Raleigh Register, Aug. 30, 1917, p. 34
