Lynco, W.Va. is a mystery to me. Wyoming Mining Corporation opened the Lynco mine in 1940. Apparently they built a coal company town there, but I have never seen a photo of it, and nothing remains today of it.
Even old maps, such as this USGS topo map dated 1968 don't actually show the town. The red arrow points to an area which may have been a remnant of the Lynco coal camp. So, if the town was built around 1940 and removed by 1968, it barely lasted 25 years. Consol purchased the mine in 1963, and it's likely at that time that the houses (and maybe store) were removed).
But we do know for a fact that a company town existed at Lynco, because a April 1947 article in the Raleigh Register newspaper stated, "Future plans include , the
building of some 100 company houses. Minns said that In the
'old days' an operation of this size would necessitate the building of some 400 houses near the
mine site. He explained that transportation to and from the mines is much better in the present day, with many miners
preferring to live on their own tracts of land, to living in a company-owned house. Building was held up during the
recent war years, but several foundations have been laid and more houses will be added to the 34 now standing near the tipple.
The mining town also has an up-to-date store. Right now, connection with the building program,
carpenters are building wing on the company store to house engineering offices and warehouse. The top of the new
wing will be converted into apartments..."
Aaron contributes this picture of a partially covered mine portal at Lynco, WV. He writes, "The property was last mined in the ’80s by Big Bear Mining, but
lots of other names have been associated with the it, such as Crozer Coal, Pocahontas Fuel, Consol, Island Creek, etc. According to the site caretaker there once was a town, company store and prep plant up
the hollow and some violence related to strikes in the ’80s. All that’s there now is the face up in the picture I took (Lynco No. 2, Campbells Creek Seam), some conveyor structure, and a couple coal buggies pushed over the hill." (Image courtesy of Aaron Walker)Mike sent in this photo of the Lynco tipple. He said, "My father was Superintendent of Lynco from 1951 to the early ’70s. I was brought up in the Superintendent's
house. In fact, my first home when they brought me from the hospital was one of the apartments over the company store." (Image courtesy of Mike Cook)Mike also gave us this photo of the superintendent's house at Lynco. He wrote, "About all of the company houses were torn down above the company store in the ’60s. What
remained were most of the houses below the company store which the bosses lived in. I have attached a picture of the house where we lived, the Superintendent's house. It was the only 2 story house in the coal camp. It
was originally Crozier Coal & Land Company when my dad started there in 1951. It was sold to Pocahontas Fuel Company in the early to mid ’60s. Before the sale, Crozier Coal required that the superintendent live on company
property. When Pocahontas Fuel bought the mines, that is when we moved to just outside of Oceana." (Image courtesy of Mike Cook)
Before the last remaining mine structures and slate dumps were relcaimed around 2011, the WVDEP AML Program documented the site with these photos:
