Historical Timeline of Mining on The Deep River Coal Bed
Extracted from "The Coal Demon of Deep River" by Michael Hetzer, The State Magazine, June 1987.
Pre- 1775 | Horton Coal Mine operated near Golf, NC for local needs. George Wilcox builds forge near Cumnock. |
1776 | Declaration of Independence. Mining of Deep River Coal near Gulf continues for local needs. |
1830 | Peter Evans changes name of plantation from LaGrange to Egypt and begins mining there. |
1851 | Egypt plantation sold to Brooke Harris. |
1852 | Main shaft of Egypt Mine sunk to depth of 460 feet. |
1854 | Egypt Mine sold to Governors Creek steam and Transportation Co. Slack-water navigation route construction begun. Railway from Fayetteville to Egypt begun. |
1859 | Harper's Ferry. |
1861 | Lincoln Inaugurated; Civil War begins. Deep River Coal shipped by rail to Fayetteville -- used to power Confederate Navy and blockade runners. |
1865 | Lee surrenders at Appomattox. |
1870 | Egypt Mine closes; bankrupt. |
1873 | Slack-water navigation begins on Deep River. Iron ore shipped from Buckhorn to Endor Iron Furnace. |
1875- 1876 | Dams and locks fail into disrepair on Deep River and slack-water navigation ends. |
1888 | Egypt Mine reopened by Egypt Coal Company; mine enters boom years. |
1895 | Mine explosion kills 46. |
1900 | Mine explosion kills 26. |
1902 | Egypt Coal Co. declares bankruptcy; mine closes. |
1915 | Egypt Mine reopened by Norfolk Southern Railroad to supply railroad only; renamed Cumnock after Scottish mining town in hope of breaking Egypt coal curse. |
1921 | Carolina Coal Company formed to create Coal Glen Mine. |
1922 | Egypt Mine closed after repeated flooding by Deep River. Coal Glen Mine shaft sunk. |
1925 | Coal Glen Mine disaster; 53 miners killed. |
1929 | Stock Market Crash. |
1930 | Carolina Coal Company declares bankruptcy; Coal Glen Mine closed. |
1941 | Bombing of Pearl Harbor. |
1943 | Egypt Mine entered; 25 tons of scrap metal retrieved for war effort; reflooded. |
1947 | Raleigh Mining Company reopens Coal Glen Mine. |
1950 | 100 tons/day produced in Coal Glen Mine. |
1951 | Coal Glen Mine closed. |
1987 | Strip mining by Chatham Coal Co. to begin on Deep River Coal Bed. |
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