Coal Heritage Tour Details
As you travel through the many small towns along this route, look for examples of the heydays of King Coal. A short tour of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine gives a living history of the methods used to extract the coal cities to fire the Industrial Revolution. New River Gorge Harley Davidson Shop is here for sales service or souvenirs. To satisfy your taste buds a quick stop at Blue Smoke Salsa is in order.
Hawks Nest State Park offers views of the New River Gorge, where you may see a coal train rumble through as they have for over 100 years. Many of these towns were found in the late 1800's as coal was discovered and shipped as America grew.
Today the modern coal conveyor belts and cleaning plant stand as testaments to West Virginia's important role in supplying coal for America's energy needs. In many of these communities, note the
houses of similar construction and design, these show how the coal companies built cheap homes for
the miners to contain cost and tie the miners to the company.
- From Beckley, WV, travel I-77 N to Exit 48, Rt. 19 (toll 3 miles)
- Follow Rt. 19 N to Hico (26 miles), follow signs to Rt. 60 W
- Take Rt. 60 W to Gauley Bridge (16 miles), then to Montgomery (11 miles)
- Take Rt. 61 N to Marmet (18 miles), then Rt. 94 S to Racine (10 miles)
- From Racine take Rt. 3 E to Whitesville (18 miles), then to Glen Daniel (27 miles)
- Continue on Rt. 3 back to Beckley, WV
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