ECKHART MINES, MD
The Maryland Mining Company opened the Eckhart Mine
in 1835. When it comes to Appalachian coal towns, it doesn't get much earlier than that. The company
itself was incorporated in 1828. Eckhart Mines is named after George Eckhart, the original landowner whose
family was swindled out of their land by the coal company because they could not produce a
deed to their property. Over the next century coal companies exploiting Appalachian coal resources
would repeatedly use this tactic to their advantage. Anyway, Eckhart coal was originally taken to
Cumberland to be shipped on the B&O Railroad or the C&O Canal. How the coal was transported the
10 miles from the mine to Cumberland is unknown to me. However, in the 1840's the railroad connecting
the mine and the markets was constructed.
The Maryland Mining Co. declared bankruptcy in 1851. Then the ownership of Eckhart Mines passed
into the Cumberland Coal & Iron Co. Eckhart Mines was acquired by Consolidation
Coal Co. in 1870 and rechristened their Mine No. 4. Consol had to dewater the mine, because it
had become flooded by then. This coal mine was in the "Big Vein" Pittsburgh seam of coal. By 1911
No. 4 must have been in retreat mining, because the Maryland mine inspector's report for the year said,
"The mine as a rule is practically all pillar work and in the recovery of abandoned coal." The report also
stated that 130 men were employed at the mine in 1910, and they mined 89,691 tons of coal.
Consol also opened a "Small Vein" (or Tyson seam) mine at Eckhart and designated it Mine No. 10. Mining continued
on and off until operations were finally closed in the 1950's by the Maryland Coal & Realty Co., who
were the final owners and operators of the Eckhart coal mines.
Richard Miller writes, "Hi. I was looking at your page about the mines in Eckhart MD. There is a photo of 3 houses that you refer to as the oldest coal camp houses known to exist. According to my family (I'm a descendant of the Eckharts) those houses were originally the slave quarters for the Eckhart family farm, before coal was discovered on the land. Those homes date to the late 1700s. They were used by the miners after the Eckharts sold (or were robbed of) the land.
Just wanted to let you know about the origin of those homes, according to my family history."
I appreciate Mr. Miller's correspondence, but the Maryland Historical Trust lists these as coal company houses built by Consolidation Coal Company circa 1840. Yet, I have no doubt that his family did have slave quarters nearby in other structures.
July 2003 image by author
These stone houses at Eckhart are the oldest surviving coal camp houses I have ever seen. According to
vintage accounts, once there were several hundred of these stone cottages at one time.
July 2003 image by author
These are more conventional miners' homes in Eckhart, probably built at a later date.
Streetscape in Eckhart Mines illustrating the fact that
Eckhart Mines did in fact have a small commerical district. The white building on the left was
once the Eckhart Theatre. (July 2003 image by author)
May 1976 image by John Nelson, Maryland State Archives
The Mine No. 4 portal was extant when this photo was taken,
but may have been reclaimed by now.