Kermit WV and Earlston Coal---Coal Exposition Center in Bluefield?

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Folks,  I am doing a little research on Earlston Coal out of Kermit WV.  This company was started somewhere around 1911 and existed for quiet a while lasting until the 50's or 60's.   I found the entries for Earlston Coal at Kermit in the book "The Trail of the Powhatan Arrow" by Jack Dickerson.

The first entry is for January 1929 - " an explosion was set of at the Earlston Coal Co. mine at Kermit seriouly injured 3 men. The eplosion was set off by a carbide lamp which touched some powder the men were using in "shooting down" coal. Injured were Goble Smith, Tom Preece and Ben Howard.

The next entry concerns David Wallace Farquharson, age 76, of kermit who passed away in April 1914. He had founded the Earlston Coal Co.

The next entry is for October 1943. It concerns the death of Thomas Franklin Williamson of Grey Eagle who was killed in a mine accident at the Earlston mine.

The last entry, also October concerns the War Fund goal. Kermit was the first district of Mingo Conuty to reach its goal. Residents and businesses contributed @1200.00 to the fund, $550.00 from Ealston Coal employees.

Does anyone out there know anything else about this company?  Did it utilize company stores and if so, where they located in WV or Kentucky or both?    Did it totally merge with Grey Eagle Coal?   The most unusual thing was that Earlston Coal had a mine in Warfield Kentucky that utilized a tramway that crossed the Tug River into Kermit where it was loaded onto N&W coal cars.    Any information out there would be beneficial.

Does anyone have to have a special access to get a visitors pass to the Coal Exposition Archives in Bluefield.  WV or does it even exist anymore?   

Don Mills




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