Nuttallburg — New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Fayette County, West Virginia
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress (public domain), as published on Street Art Utopia.
Nuttallburg is a former coal town in the New River Gorge of West Virginia, begun in 1870 by England-born John Nuttall. Its mines shipped coal by rail from 1873, Henry Ford ran them in the 1920s, and production ceased in 1958. The National Park Service now protects the townsite, with its tipple and long coal conveyor. Source Source Source Checked
Seen Feb 2026: the National Park Service’s Nuttallburg page, last updated 21 February 2026, gives current driving directions to the Nuttallburg parking area and to the Headhouse Trail. Source Reported
More photos
💡 5 things to know
- A town built for the railroadJohn Nuttall began buying coal land along Keeneys Creek in 1870, and his town was ready when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway was completed through the gorge in 1873. Nuttallburg became the second town in the New River Gorge to ship coal by rail. Source Source Source Checked
- Henry Ford’s coal minesIn the 1920s Henry Ford took over the mines to supply coal for his company’s steel mills, but sources differ on how: the Park Service says he leased them, the Akron Beacon Journal says he purchased them, and the West Virginia Encyclopedia says the mine was sold to Ford by 1919. The Park Service and the Beacon Journal agree that he sold his interests in 1928. Source Source Source Conflicting
- A record-length conveyorThe conveyor runs 1,385 feet up to the mine, 600 feet above the tipple. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, it was built in 1926, worked by gravity and was the longest coal conveyor in the world when it was built. Source Reported
- Mining ended in 1958After Ford, the mines passed through three more owners, and production ceased in 1958. The post office had closed in 1955; the rail depot closed in 1962. Source Source Checked
- Handed to the Park ServiceIn 1998 the Nuttall family transferred Nuttallburg to the National Park Service, which cleared vegetation and stabilized the badly rusted tipple and conveyor; the Park Service says that project was completed in 2011. Source Source Checked
📍 Where it is
Nuttallburg lies on the north side of the New River in Fayette County, inside New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Visitors drive 4.1 miles down the narrow, steep Keeneys Creek Road from Winona, or hike the steep Headhouse Trail down from Beauty Mountain Road near Lansing. Source Source Source Checked
Coordinates from Wikipedia. The Park Service warns that Keeneys Creek Road is narrow and one lane in places and is not suited to large vehicles or trailers, and the Akron Beacon Journal notes that it advises against relying on GPS to get there.
🗓️ Sightings
- 1958
Coal production ceases at Nuttallburg · National Park Service
- 1991Nov
Tipple photographed for the Historic American Engineering Record · camera date
- 201313 Sep
Rebuilt tipple, conveyor and three trails open to visitors · Akron Beacon Journal
- 2015
Restored tipple and conveyor photographed by Carol M. Highsmith · camera date
- 202621 Feb
Park Service page with current directions to the site · National Park Service
Amber stamps mark records or reports; green stamps are dated photos. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
Nuttallburg
“Production ceased in 1958 and Nuttallburg became like so many other riverside communities that rose and fell due to changes in the industry.”
History-rich Nuttallburg tells story of coal mining in West Virginia’s New Rive Gorge
“Today, Nuttallburg features a tipple where coal was sorted before being loaded onto rail cars, and a 1,385-foot conveyor belt that was used to haul coal from the mine 600 feet above.”
Nuttallburg
“Nuttallburg’s population peaked in the 1920s at 500 residents, served by two schools, two churches, a powerhouse, store, clubhouse or hotel, and public water system.”
✅ The facts
- Ford era
- Leased (Park Service) vs purchased (Beacon Journal) in the 1920s; sold to Ford by 1919 (West Virginia Encyclopedia); interests sold 1928 Source Source Source Conflicting
- National Register
- 2005 (National Park Service) vs 2007 (West Virginia Encyclopedia); listed as Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District Source Source Source Conflicting
🔗 Related
All sources & image credits
- National Park Service — Nuttallburg, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve — updated 21 Feb 2026
- e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia (West Virginia Humanities Council) — Nuttallburg, by William N. Grafton
- Akron Beacon Journal (Bob Downing), republished by Fayette County, WV — History-rich Nuttallburg tells story of coal mining — 13 Sep 2013
- NPGallery (National Park Service) — Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District, NRIS 07000846
- Library of Congress — Historic American Engineering Record, Nuttallburg Mine Complex, Tipple (HAER WV-51-F)
- Wikipedia — Nuttallburg, West Virginia (coordinates)
- Hero image: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress (public domain), 2015, as published on Street Art Utopia.
- More photos: Emory L. Kemp, November 1991, Historic American Engineering Record / Library of Congress (public domain).
Last checked: 8 November 2026 · How we verify art