Guide to CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records Collection, 1880-1994 AIS.2004.22

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records
Creator
CONSOL Energy Inc
Collection Number
AIS.2004.22
Extent
64.5 Linear Feet (16 boxes, 88 rolls, 5 map drawers)
Date
1880-1994
Abstract
The CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records contains coal mine maps as well as surface maps and detailed information on mine accidents in West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. Additionally, there are technical drawings, related documents, traverse and survey books, publications and photographs.
Language
English .
Author
Debora A. Rougeux, Nickie Puit, and Amy Brunner.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Arrangement

The collection is organized into 12 series:

Series I. Mine Maps, 1917-1994

Series II. Company Property Maps, 1880-1989

Series III. Geographic Maps, 1910-1985

Series IV. Technical Drawings, 1906-1981

Series V. Aerial Photograph Maps, 1972-1990

Series VI. Hardback Maps, 1882-1978

Series VII. General Records, 1919-1987

Series VIII. Publications, 1884-1973

Series IX. Accident Reports, 1923-1964

Series X. Survey Books, 1913-1994

Series XI. Traverse Logs, 1913-1994

Series XII. Photographs, 1939-1947

Acquisition Information

Gift of CONSOL Energy Inc. in 2004.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Previous Citation

CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records, 1880-1994, AIS.2004.22, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

CONSOL Energy Inc. West Virginia and Eastern Ohio Mine Maps and Records, 1880-1994, AIS.2004.22, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

History

CONSOL Energy Inc. was first introduced and incorporated by an act of the Maryland legislature on March 1860 as Consolidation Coal Company, but was not fully formed until April 19, 1864. Early in CONSOL's history, transportation of coal proved problematic. The coal was originally transferred by wagon, then by flat-bottom riverboats, and later by railroad. The company collaborated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad when a large amount of stock was acquired by the railroad. Two years later, the offices moved from New York to Baltimore.

The company faced internal trouble in the late 1800s due to the company-employed miners going on strike. The strike continued for weeks, with order finally restored by the Maryland Militia. The early 1900s also saw change in the company, when it expanded outside of Maryland into Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and began to ship coal internationally to Japan.

In 1906, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad sold its shares to a Baltimore syndicate. This was the first attempt by a railroad to relinquish control of the commodities it transported because of investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission, which examined the relationships between coal-carrying railroads and the companies having mines on their lines. CONSOL continued to prosper in the early 1900s when it expanded into Kentucky and continued to ship coal all over the world during World War I. The company was able to move its offices back to New York in 1921, and by 1925, the company had become the largest commercial producer of bituminous coal in the United States.

The mergers and reorganizations continued when the company restructured its departments in 1927 to increase efficiency. During the early 1930s and the Depression era, the company again had to reorganize and went into receivership after serious financial trouble befell them, but due to their efforts the company was able to emerge from those years on solid footing.

The year 1934 was the company's seventieth anniversary. They owned 300,000 acres of land containing reserves of 1,800,000,000 tons of coal and operated 22 mines in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. The years following World War II saw more mergers and the purchasing of other companies. This is also when CONSOL began to develop new breakthroughs in the coal industry.

In 1945, the company merged with Pittsburgh Coal Company and was renamed the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company. One improvement in 1947 was the creation of "Disco," which became a registered trademark of CONSOL. "Disco" was a smokeless solid fuel, and the coal gasification project became a major endeavor of the company. In 1948, the company developed and built a pilot plant for refining tar from a carbonization process.

In 1951, sufficient data became available to prove to CONSOL that it was economical to transport coal by pipeline. In 1956, CONSOL bought the Pocahontas Fuel Company Incorporated, which had reserves and production facilities of low-volatile coal. These fuels were ideal for coking, which was an important ingredient in the manufacture of steel, and a new venture for the coal company. Two years later, the company shortened its name to Consolidation Coal Company.

A major breakthrough for the company occurred in coal pipelining in 1961 with the creation of coal slurry. Coal slurry, a mixture of coal and water, could be pumped for hundreds of miles through a pipeline, distributed by barge, and stored indefinitely in tanks or ponds. This development was hailed as being one of the most important discoveries in fuel transportation and consumption in the past forty years. In 1963, the company contracted with the Office of Coal Research to develop, construct and operate a coal-to-gasoline pilot plant.

The company celebrated 100 years of operation in 1964. Almost 100 billion tons of coal had been mined and CONSOL was still one of the leading producers of coal in the world, with international holdings as well as successful mines located in various states.

In 1966, just two years after the company marked its centennial, Consolidation Coal was acquired by the Continental Oil Company (Conoco). This was part of a general trend whereby U.S. oil companies extended their reach by acquiring coal reserves and large coal producers. In turn, Conoco was acquired by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1981. This purchase was motivated by DuPont's desire to obtain better control of chemical feedstocks in an era of high oil prices. Consolidation Coal was not a major factor in the Conoco acquisition and did not really fit into DuPont's strategy, especially after coal and oil prices declined. As a result, it was quickly sold off when DuPont was restructured a decade later.

In 1991, a new holding company, CONSOL Energy Inc., was incorporated as a joint venture of DuPont Energy Company and the German energy conglomerate Rheinisch-Westfalisches Elektrizitatswerk A.G., through its wholly owned subsidiaries Rheinbraun A.G. and Rheinbraun U.S.A. GmbH. Consolidation Coal Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy, Inc. DuPont eventually sold most of its half interest, so that by 1998, Rheinbraun affiliates owned 94% of CONSOL Energy stock, while DuPont Energy retained only 6%. CONSOL Energy purchased the entire stock of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company on September 22, 1998. CONSOL Energy stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CNX" in 1999, with an initial public offering of more than 20 million shares.

Scope and Content Notes

This collection contains maps, information sheets, technical drawings and other records relating primarily to the West Virginia and eastern Ohio mining activities of CONSOL Energy Inc. and related companies. Additionally, there are property maps, plans of lots and drawings of other surface features, plans of structures related to mines owned and operated by CONSOL Energy and related companies. There are also technical drawings, reports, publications, etc. produced in conjunction with or to be used with the mine maps, and photographs.

Item level descriptions for material in Series I through VII and Series IX are available in a local database accessible in the Archives Service Center. Searchable fields include mine name, operator, description, map id number, scale and date. Please contact Archives & Special Collections for further information.

Related Material

CONSOL Energy Inc. Mine Maps and Records, 1857-2010, AIS.1991.16, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Consolidation Coal Company Records, 1854-1971, AIS.2011.03, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Debora Rougeux and Nickie Puit in January-April 2012. This material was included in the 2004 deposit by CONSOL Energy Inc. of predominantly southwestern Pennsylvania materials added to AIS.1991.16, but was separated from it for later processing.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Windsor Power House Coal Company
    • CONSOL Energy Inc
    • Consolidation Coal Company
    • American Gas and Electric Company
    • Wheeling Steel and Iron Company

    Geographic Names

    • Ohio, Eastern -- Maps
    • West Virginia -- Maps
    • Belmont County (Ohio) -- Maps
    • Jefferson County (Ohio) -- Maps
    • Harrison County (Ohio) -- Maps
    • Columbiana County (Ohio) -- Maps

    Genres

    • Technical drawings
    • Photographs
    • Mine maps
    • Land use maps
    • Floor plans
    • Blueprints (Reprographic copies)

    Other Subjects

    • Coal mines and mining -- Ohio, Eastern -- Maps
    • Real property -- Ohio, Eastern -- Maps
    • Land use -- Ohio, Eastern -- Maps
    • Real property -- West Virginia -- Maps
    • Land use -- West Virginia -- Maps
    • Coal mines and mining -- West Virginia -- Maps
    • Environment
    • Business and Industry

Container List