Lesson Plan – Virginia's Coal Industry, 19th and 20th Centuries

Historically, coal has been one of Virginia’s most valuable natural resources. The first coal mines were developed after deposits were discovered early in the 1700s in Chesterfield County. Although Chesterfield exported the most coal before the Civil War, large coal deposits were also found in areas of western Virginia along the New River (now part of West Virginia) and in southwestern Virginia. This region became the major producer of coal in post-Civil War Virginia.

The success of southwestern Virginia's coalfields in the Appalachian Plateau region, including Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise Counties, is linked to the expansion of railroads and the increased demand for coal as the nation  industrialized. After the Civil War, rail companies expanded westward as industrialists, fueled by northern capital, opened coal mines in the state's southwestern region. Norfolk & Western Railroad shipped its first coal from the Pocahontas Coalfield in 1883 and quickly developed lines through Tazewell to Norton. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad built more rail lines into Norton and the Wise County coalfields by the 1890s. A decade later railroad companies had developed lines that delivered high-grade coke coal and steam coal from southwestern Virginia to Hampton in eastern Virginia for shipment to both domestic and international markets.

The port at Norfolk began receiving coal shipments in the 1880s, and coal quickly eclipsed cotton as the product most heavily exported from the area. By 1886 the Norfolk and Western Railway extended its tracks directly to the pier at Lambert’s Point, in Norfolk, and began constructing coal piers to facilitate shipping. Norfolk and Western later merged with Norfolk Southern Railway, which continues to ship coal from Lambert’s Point. In 1990, this pier loaded more than 39,500 tons of coal, and the seaport at Norfolk remains the largest coal export facility  in the United States today.

With the demand for coal came a need for labor. The sparsely-settled Appalachian region could not provide that labor, so companies brought in workers. The coal camps brought together—often for the first time—miners of different cultures and nationalities. Before the boom ended in the 1920s, as many as 125 coal camps, or company towns, thrived in southwestern Virginia. To meet labor demands, mining and railroad companies advertised for and brought immigrants not only from other states, but also from other countries, including Italy, Hungary, and Poland. These workers could find items from their cultures in the local company stores where they purchased their goods.

Pocahontas Colliery Store was a company store. This meant that the coal company owned and managed the store. In a rural area like this, workers lacked the opportunity to shop in different places. Companies could take advantage of these situations by charging high prices for the goods they sold. Sometimes they paid workers in scrip, or money only useable at their stores. They also offered goods on credit to workers, which often forced workers to remain at their jobs because they had no money to spend elsewhere. New Deal legislation passed during the 1930s protected the rights of miners to organize and unionize, which resulted in increased wages over time. Automobiles also increased workers' ability to live and work elsewhere. These factors contributed to the end of company stores and towns as did the decline of coal and U.S. manufacturing during the second half of the twentieth century.

Coal benefitted Virginia's economy, but it also created problems. Coal is a profitable natural resource with serious environmental consequences. Emissions from coal cause acid rain from the sulphur dioxide it puts into the air. The carbon dioxide it produces when burned contributes to greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The nitrogen oxide and other particulates coal produces can cause lung and respiratory disease in people and smog in the environment. Many coal miners suffered from Black Lung Disease because of their years inhaling the dangerous coal dust. In Lambert’s Point local residents attribute chronic health problems to the continued transportation of coal, which releases coal dust into the air, soil, and water. While coal continues to be mined and transported through Virginia, many citizens are looking for other ways to produce energy that will avoid the side effects of burning coal. Even today, however, coal is the largest export from the Commonwealth, with $2.05 billion exported in 2025.

These images in the attached pdf document the coal industry in Virginia. The map of South-West Virginia & Contiguous Territory shows the veining of minerals and coal found in that region. The photograph of the Pocahontas Collier shows one of dozens of company stores established in coal towns. The other two photographs illustrate the shipping industry in Norfolk. The cargo ship Malden is being loaded with coal about 1920 for shipment along the east coast of the United States. The Norfolk & Western Railroad train yard at Norfolk was one of multiple coal-handling facilities at the port when this photograph was taken in the 1930s.

Citations: C.R. Boyd, South West-Virginia & Contiguous Territory: Mineral Resources & Railway Facilities, Philadelphia: J.L. Smith, 1886. G3882 .V45H1 1886 .B68, Map Collection, Library of Virginia. View high-resolution map in the Library's online catalog.

Pocahontas Colliery Store, about 1883, Tazewell County Public Library Photograph Collection at the Library of Virginia. View in the Library's online catalog.

S/S Malden at Norfolk & Western Ry., Lamberts Point coal pier taking coastwide coal, Harry C. Mann Photograph Collection, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Library of Virginia. View in the Library's online catalog.

The coal terminal and modern coal piers of the Norfolk and Western Railway, Virginia New York World's Fair Commission, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Digital Collections Discovery, Library of Virginia. View in the Library's online catalog.

K.8, 2.13, VS.9, USII.3, USII.5, VUS.10

Goals and Guiding Principles: Through this lesson, students will investigate how the coal industry expanded in Virginia. They will learn about the technological advancements that made this expansion possible. They will explore how the coal industry created a distinct culture in southwest Virginia centered on company towns.

Visual analysis (20-30 minutes)
VS, USII
Look at the images and fill out the attached Visual Analysis sheet. Describe the terrain in the map, the technology in the images from Norfolk, and the people you see in front of the Pocahontas Colliery store and the houses in the background. Is anything surprising to you? If so, why? In the conclusion, write a paragraph telling a story with all three images.  What would you start with, and what would you conclude with, and why?

Map It (15 minutes)
VS, USII
Using Google Maps, superimpose the lines of the railroad you see in the Southwest Virginia map onto a modern map grid of the area. How does it follow today’s major roads? What towns still exist along the railroad lines? How do you think the railroads shaped the economy of Appalachian towns?

Exit Ticket (15 minutes)
USII
Write a series of sentences beginning with these phrases:

• In late nineteenth-century Virginia, coal was discovered in _________________________.
• Companies developed the coal industry by ___________________________.
• The coal industry has affected Virginians by ________________________________.

Dig Deeper (30 minutes)
US
Read this Library of Virginia blog post about life in the coal towns: https://uncommonwealth.lva.virginia.gov/blog/2026/01/21/virginias-coal-towns/.
Use the attached Dig Deeper chart to explain the positive and negative aspects of life in company coal towns. Write a diary entry from the point of view of a teenager in a town like this. Would you want to stay or leave to pursue opportunities elsewhere? Why or why not? Use the chart you created for details about life in the town and your reason for deciding to stay or leave.

Philosophical Chairs (30 minutes)
VUS 

1. The prompt: Give students this statement: “Coal was, and remains, a positive and important natural resource in Virginia."

2. The setup: Have students physically move to opposite sides of the room based on whether they agree or disagree with this statement (you can assign students to these positions if you do not have enough critical mass on one side).

3. The Debate: Have students on each side present their reasons for supporting or refuting this statement

4. Shifting Positions: As students consider the points of the debate, encourage them to move to one side or the other—or into the middle if they are not sure or agree with parts of each argument made by opposing sides.

5. Reflections: At the end, ask students to reflect on their initial position, the arguments that persuaded them, and the overall learning experience. Ask them what they learned about the history of the coal industry and what else they would like to know. This can serve as their “exit ticket.”