Mining ghost towns are a common sight in the US, whether it is coal mining, gold, or copper mining towns. While some are just abandoned mining communities that have faded into the background, others were once booming cities that eventually faded out of existence. There are many mining ghost towns in the US, as the industry has a long and complicated history. Here are a few examples:
Thurmond
Thurmond is an abandoned coal town located in a beautiful West Virginia river gorge. A visitor center and a starring role in the movie Matewan give it life today, but a fire that started underground in 1962 destroyed most of the town.
Coal mining was a major driving force behind the development of Thurmond, a town that served as a rail depot for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. This railroad town was one of the busiest in the New River Gorge area, and it had hotels, stores, banks, a movie theater, and more.
Its prosperity lasted for decades. But as demand for coal waned and steam engines became obsolete, the town began to decline.
Eventually, the railroad stopped using the town as a freight station, and the population declined. The Great Depression hit hard, and the town lost much of its luster.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway changed its locomotives from steam to diesel in 1949, which left the town's rail yard structures and jobs obsolete. Eventually, the town itself was abandoned.
Today, most of the town is owned by the National Park Service and can be visited as part of a guided walking tour. Its historic storefronts are also open to visitors to glimpse the past.
Nuttallburg
When the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway was completed through West Virginia's New River Gorge in 1873, entrepreneur John Nuttall began buying land along Keeney's Creek and building a company town there. The town would ship "smokeless" coal processed from a mineral seam hundreds of feet above the river's bed.
The coal mine and company town prospered for decades. At its height, it was home to a church, a company store, a theater for performances, schools, and more.
But as mining demand declined, the community and its mines slowly crumbled. In 1962, underground smoldering started, making the ground unstable and threatening to collapse houses. Visit this page to know more.
Luckily for those of us who love exploring abandoned towns, Nuttallburg remains a treasured part of the National Park Service. The ruins are easy to explore on foot or your bike, and there are several trails to choose from. Start with the three-mile Keeney's Creek Rail Trail, showcasing streams, mountains, the conveyor, and much more. Or try the Seldom Seen Trail, which is less than a mile and is ideal for those looking for a relaxing day hike.
Centralia
Centralia was founded as a coal mining town, but it has since become one of the most haunted in the US. The ghost town is filled with overgrown roads, eerie stillness, and an odd number of graveyards.
The town was cursed in 1868 after its founder Alexander Rae was murdered by Molly Maguires, an Irish-Catholic secret society. Eventually, the town was abandoned and hasn't been populated since.
In 1962, a fire started in a landfill that spread to the labyrinthine coal tunnels miners dug beneath the town. Despite several attempts to extinguish the fire, it continues to burn underground to this day.
Residents of the town began passing out from carbon monoxide poisoning, and the roadways and sidewalks became unsafe to walk on. The state and federal government stepped in to help, and eventually, more than 1,000 residents were relocated in a $42 million program.
A few holdouts still continue to live in their homes, but their number is decreasing with each passing year. The town is now condemned by the Pennsylvania government, and its zip code has been revoked.
Kennecott
Kennecott is a mining ghost town located in Alaska, USA. The town was established in the early 1900s as a copper mining camp and quickly grew into a bustling community with over 500 people.
Kennecott's copper mine was one of the richest in the world, and it operated until the 1930s when the price of copper plummeted during the Great Depression. The town was abandoned in the 1950s, and today it is a National Historic Landmark, with many of the original buildings still standing.
Visitors can take tours of the historic mining buildings and learn about the town's rich mining history. The surrounding area also has stunning natural beauty, including glaciers and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
