Belmont Coal Mines of Jackson County, Alabama (1877-1940)

Belmont Coal Mines of Jackson County, Alabama (1877-1940). By Lewis Wendell Page Sr. Birmingham: Page Publishing, 1999. 240 pp. $30.00. ISBN 0-9671363-0-X.

Alabama coal mining generally evokes thoughts of the Warrior coal field and the iron and steel industry of the Birmingham District. However, bituminous coal deposits comprise three additional fields within the state-the Cahaba, the Coosa, and the Plateau. Even though much research and publication tells the story of industrial development in Jones Valley, the history of the three lesser fields remains relatively obscure. Local histories record reminiscences of former coal towns, but no single work synthesizes the technological developments and social effects of the smaller regions. Lewis Wendell Page's recent work, Belmont Coal Mines of Jackson County, Alabama, represents the first compilation of records and oral histories for the Plateau field.

Page traces the evolution of coal mining in Jackson County from 1877 to 1940. Citing probate records, he outlines the development of mining operations as coal companies claimed surface holdings and mineral rights. The Gordon brothers-John B., Eugene C., and Walter S.-- started their operation at Boyd's Switch and initiated coal mining in the Allen Isbell Mountain of the Cumberland Plateau. Progress continued after the Gordons left the business in 1881 under agent and superintendent Harrison G. Otis, who helped create the communities of Menlo and Limrock. Overwhelmed by circuit and chancery court lawsuits against the former Gordon enterprise, Otis liquidated the company's assets and departed in 1886. Two decades of gold fever ensued, and coal mining lay dormant until its resurgence in 1904. Again, three brothers-Ray Vaughn, Franklin D., and V. Mott Pierce-sought to exploit the mineral resources of Jackson County. Based in New York, they founded the town of Pierceton and operated as absentee owners until the end of World War I. Their manager, William S. Douglass, assumed control of the mines in 1924 and managed operations for the Vere Mining Company until 1931. Thereafter, local operators Claude Rudder and James Lemuel Kennedy mined coal until 1940.

Page's extensive use of official records-deeds, contracts, lawsuits, census records, and court orders-makes for difficult reading. Lengthy transcriptions disrupt the narrative, but they do provide a readable source for those primary documents. Maps, photographs, and personal recollections add a personal flavor to the historical account. Page, a retired schoolteacher and principal, also provides an assessment of education in the coal mining towns throughout Jackson County as it evolved over the years.

Two particular accounts generate interest for further research. The intrigue associated with the Gordon brothers could be taken from an adventure novel or a movie script. Incorporating the Belmont Coal and Railroad Company in January 1880, they immediately increased the value of company stock from $5,000 to $250,000 and followed quickly with an additional increase to $400,000. Having secured their wealth and ridding themselves of financial liability, the brothers skipped town in April 1881. Surprisingly, townspeople continued to speak highly of the Gordons, and Otis remained to muddle through subsequent lawsuits. In similar fashion William Douglass emerged as the middleman between lessees A. Vere Martin and J. W. Paige of Chicago and the Pierce brothers of New York. Even though partnered with Martin and Paige, Douglass kept the Pierces informed of shady business dealings. Ultimately, the Pierces rewarded Douglass with a grant of land and forced the "Chicago Crowd" to abandon their coal mining interests.

As a first look at the Plateau coal field, Belmont Coal Mines has merit. Page's work will have limited effect on the historiography of southern mining, but it establishes an important foundation for further research into this area of Alabama. The use of local history and oral accounts compares favorably with James H. Walker's The Struggle and the joy: An American Coal Town, Piper, Alabama (Birmingham, 1993). As historians re-create the story of coal mining in Alabama, they must remember that industrial operations depended on and influenced the local population. Page gives face and voice to the miners of Jackson County.

JAMES SANDERS DAY

University of Montevallo

Copyright University of Alabama Press Oct 2001
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