Coal Mines in Brooke County

A Family Story

Submitted by Dorothy and  Dalen DeGarmo

(He lived on Pierce's  Run, she on Beech  Bottom Hill)

    I do not remember a lot about mines, but do recall Weirton Steel  ( wonder if they mean Wheeling Steel?) had a lot of photos  hung in the office in the 50's.  My husband's father Carl DeGarmo, Sr. had his back injured in a mine at Short Creek,  8 ton of rock fell.  The damage was so bad they believed he might now walk, but he walked out of the hospital and returned to work. It was in '55 I believe. Power Coal Co. owned it.

    The Weirton (Whlg?) Steel office had records posted of how much coal was in each mine. Small mines were all over - Pierce's Run had a small one stripped for about 25 years, Pulchette owned it.  Benny Serevich was a mule skinner who drove mules that pulled the cars in and out of the mine, one out on Pierce's Run.  There may have been one around Gist property close to  Stone Chapel Church. The one room school house was just past the church.

    From Pierce's Run up to Macadoo Ridge was a road and old cabin was up there and a mine.  Old man Serevich rolled his cigarettes and played a violin. You could hear him playing every night through the hills.

    Benny Serevich was about 80 in 40's. Don't hold me to years, there because recall after 50, 60 gets mixed.

    A lot of farms had little private veins, up on hill above Pierce's  Run, DeGarmo's  farm had a small one, around Myers place (along Highway between  Wellsburg and Beech Bottom ) there was an old rails that I used to run across while riding in woods.

    Coss's Hill down to Buffalo Creek had a small mine and at foot of McCords Road was a small one.   Out Bethany Pike, past 2nd tunnel ( where it used to be) on left past Old Allen farm where ( Old Indian Burial Ground) was  ( NOTE Bethany College has artifacts on this)  was Robinsons Coal Mine  my dad sold mine posts to them in 1930's at $20 for 100- 6 foot posts. He would use cross cut  saw, wedges and ax and cut 100 posts a day load on a 2 1/2 ton 1937 GMC truck to haul them.  Names of some of folks worked mines, Coss's, Gindes, Tomshack boys, Abner Smith, Carl DeGarmo Sr. above mentioned and on previous page, Lombardy Coal was out Cross Creek and Earl Walnoha drove truck for Lombardy

    Before Green's Run and McCords, McKinleyville on Bethany Pike was  mine Eddie Elliott worked coal mine "Old Ed"   I recall street car and car barn and then bus, but I don't recall trolley going out the Pike.

    Company story at Beech Bottom, I recall vividly as it was across from post office and when I was in elementary school my uncle took me there to buy a pair of good school shoes.  Naturally, folks charged and yes it was higher and they 'owed their soul to the company store' , but where else could they charge food and surplus and  I recall the folks that ran the story were pleasant and I knew my uncle well.  Often my grandmother preferred to buy there rather than go into Wellsburg and would send me to get something on way from school before coming up the hill..

    The lights on helmets were "carbike"  carbide lights  My dad wore one.

    The  Company story had blankets, flash lights, shoes, good coveralls, food, and an occasional toy or  baby doll around Holidays.

    There was a coal tipple between Cross Creek and Wellsburg.

Our thanks to this family for sharing this bit of History with our group!

Brooke County Genealogy