Coal Boom and Coal Mining

The discovery in 1866 of coal in Vienna Township turned a rural agricultural community into a boom town. More than 20 mines were opened in the following decades.[1] Vienna's population mushroomed in the 1870s, from 1,132 in 1870 to 1,994 in 1880. Speculation caused land prices to skyrocket. Entrepreneurs, including Vienna-born Chauncey H. Andrews, Job J. Holliday, and Ira B. Mackey, Sr., invested in the coal mines and in the construction of railroads.

Just as quickly as the boom appeared, however, it just as quickly ended. In an 1882 history of Trumbull County, the author noted of Vienna:

The mineral resources of Vienna have been found most valuable. A good quality of coal is found, and mining has been carried on quite extensively from 1868 until very recently. Quite a large mining village, which sprang up east of Vienna center, is now in a state of dilapidation, partly deserted, showing plainly that the coal interest is now on the wane, the best mines having been worked out.[3]

By 1890 the Township's population had dropped, as miners and their families left, looking for new work elsewhere.

Striking "Black Gold"

The coal in Vienna is composed of thin multiple layers of a thickness of 1/16" or less. It was commonly found at depths of less than 100 feet below the surface, and usually between 60 and 70 feet. It is classified as "Sharon Number 1," indicating it is similar to the coal excavated at Sharon, Pennsylvania. It is the coal closest to the earth's surface in Ohio and, in Vienna, erosion caused by the many streams and creeks exposed the coal deposits.

The first mine in the Township, called the Shoo Fly Mine, was opened in 1866. Its location was on a corner of Hampton Kerr's farm, a site now behind the Mathews High School building. (The west branch of Squaw Creek has its origin here.) The Shoo Fly Mine's seams of coal measured up to 4'6" in thickness and were located 60" to 70" below the surface. The mine produced an average of 250 tons of coal per day, helping Trumbull County to be the leading producer of coal in the state of Ohio in the 1870s. The mine's tunnels were 5' wide with side rooms from 25' to 50' in depth. The total length and location of these tunnels and chambers beneath the surface is unknown, but they may extend for miles. Two airshafts were listed for this mine.

The Shoo Fly's success led to more mines being excavated. Besides the high quality and volume of coal produced, Vienna's mines had another feature in common: water. From the beginning, the mines were plagued with massive ground seepage and the flow from springs beneath the surface. The mines required pumps manned around the clock. All the mines are now massive reservoirs of water waiting to be tapped.

Coal Mines in Vienna*
Mine names that begin with "TL," short for Trumbull County, designate a mapped mine.
Mine names that begin with "OGS," short for Ohio Geological Survey, designate the location of an unmapped mine.

• TL-07, Vienna No. 1; Vienna (1875-1877); Vienna Shoo Fly (1874) - Opened in 1869, closed in 1877. Slope mine; operated by the Vienna Coal & Iron Company; produced 250 tons daily.

• TL-08, Vienna No. 2; Vienna (1884, 1874-1877) - Opened in 1869, closed in 1884. Shaft mine; produced 250 tons daily. This mine was operated by the Vienna Coal Company (1869), Vienna Coal & Iron Company (1874-1877), and the Stewart Coal Company (1884). Shaft was filled with water and stumps. In 1884, John P. Morris was the mine superintendent and Thomas E. Thomas was the mine boss. The shaft location is about 100 feet west of an abandoned railroad track and 600 feet north of Coal Road. In 1980 the site was marked by a water-filled depression about 20 feet in diameter an some gob was scattered in the area.

• TL-11, Harrison, Carlton Bank - Opened in 1888, closed in 1892. Shaft mine. Operated by Harrison Coal Company (1888). A. J. McCartney was the mine superintendent 1888-1890. William Young was the mine boss in 1888 and 1889, and John Brunswick was the mine boss in 1890. The coal supply was not very stable and very little was mined from there. In 1980, according to Mr. Kelly, 5160 Brunswick home, the approximate shaft location is about 1800 feet east of Sodom-Hutchings Road. At that time it was unable to be located as it was too overgrown. After the mine closed, it was filled with rubbish.

• TL-14, Stewart (1887-1890), Stewart No. 2 - Opened in 1887, closed in 1890. Shaft mine. Operated by Evan Morris & Sons. D. D. Morris was the mine superintendent from 1887-1888. Thomas E. Thomas was the mine boss in 1887. August Brunswick was the mine boss in 1888. Approximate shaft location is about 400 feet east of Sodom-Hutchings Road and 80 feet south of driveway. In 1980 it was reported that the shaft may be in the vicinity of a horse riding arena. The area was graded over with no visible depressing.

• TL-15, Hamilton - Shaft mine; in 1876 producing 200 tons daily. Operated by Hamilton Coal Company. The shaft location is about 3600 feet east of Youngstown-Kingsville Road (Route 193) and 5800 feet north of Warren-Sharon Road on the property of Paul Shoff, 4567 Warren-Sharon Road. In 1980 the site was marked by a water filled rectangular depression about 8 x 16 feet in dimension and containing some logs. Also noted in 1980, the site was about 100 feet east of a small gob pile and a beaver pond (swampy area).

• TL-22, Walls Kerr; Blue Ribbon - Closed in 1935. Shaft mine. Operated by Joe M. Epstein, Walls Kerr Coal Company, and Walls Brothers. The shaft location is about 1800 feet west of Warner Road and 150 feet south of lane, approximately at southeast corner of base of large gob pile. According to Mrs. Robert Blakely in 1980, the shaft was filled and graded over. About 2100 feet west of Warner Road and 300 feet northwest of shaft site was a water-filled depression (air-shaft) about 25 feet in diameter containing some fallen trees. The mine was later sealed by the state of Ohio.

• OGS-08, Gano - Closed in 1937, reopened in 1939, closed permanently in 1941. Shaft mine; last shaft opened in Vienna. Operated by the Vienna Coal Mining Company. The shaft is about 300 feet west of Sodom-Hutchings Road. About 50 feet north of the shaft is a water-filled depression (air-shaft). This was also the site of the last mine fatality in Trumbull County in November of 1940. The mine was later sealed by the state of Ohio.

• OGS-09, Shoo Fly Mine - Opened in 1866, closed in 1870. Slope mine; produced 250 tons daily. Operated by Andrews & Company. The slope was filled with old cars in 1941.

• OGS-10, Ragweed - Closed in 1892. Shaft mine. Operated by the Vienna Coal & Iron Company. The location of the mine is 2900 feet west of Sodom-Hutchings Road and 850 feet southwest of Maple Drive. After closing, the shaft was filled with dirt.

• OGS-11, Brunswick - Shaft mine. The mine is on the Brunswick farm property behind the old Brunswick house. The shaft is filled with dirt. The mine was a small operation. The location of the mine is under the residence of 794 Sodom-Hutchings Road.

• OGS-12, Holliday - Opened in 1874 by W. C. & Chauncey H. Andrews[7], closed in 1883. Slope mine; produced 400 tons daily. The slope was reported to be filled with rubbish.

• OGS-13, Barber - Shaft mine. The shaft was filled with rubbish. It was noted in 1980 that it was still open and filled with water. The location of the mine is 50 feet south of Smith-Stewart Road and 1800 feet east of Sodom-Hutchings Road.

• OGS-14, Moore - Closed in 1870. Slope mine; produced 30 tons daily.

• OGS-15, Corn Cob - Slope mine. Operated by the Wawkin Brothers. The slope is filled with water.

• OGS-16, Chamberlin - Shaft mine; operated by George Chamberlin. The shaft was filled with rubbish. The shaft location is about 570 feet south of Warren-Sharon Road and 540 feet east of Sodom-Hutchings Road on the Steve Soroka farm, 5112 Warren-Sharon Rd.

• OGS-17, Rogers (1887); Rogers Bank; Vienna (1886-1887) - Opened in 1885, closed in 1887. Shaft mine. Operated by Morris Coal Company (1886-1887). In 1886, the superintendent of the mine was D. D. Morris and the mine boss was Thomas E. Thomas. After it was closed, the shaft was filled with dirt. The location of the mine is an open field south of Warren-Sharon Road and west of Rogers Road.

• OGS-18, McClurg - Shaft mine. Operated by Brunswick. West of the golf course along a telephone line there is evidence of a shaft, but little of the dump is left. After it was closed, the shaft was filled with dirt. A shaft is located 700 feet west of Youngstown- Kingsville Road (Route 193) under Sheridan Road. Another shaft is 2400 feet west of Youngstown-Kingsville Road (Route 193) and 500 feet southwest of end of Sheridan Road.

• OGS-19, Blackberry - Closed in 1870. Shaft mine; produced 100 tons daily. Operated by Vienna Coal & Iron Company. Shaft was filled with trash. Several air shafts were noted along the creek. The shaft location is 1550 feet east of Youngstown-Kingsville Road (Route 193) and 900 feet east of the club house at Squaw Creek Country Club.

• OGS-20, Shadyside; High Shaft - Opened in 1882. Shaft mine. Operated by Morris Coal Company. In 1883, the mine superintendent was John Morris. Thomas E. Thomas was the mine boss in 1882 and 1883. The shaft location is about 2500 feet east of Youngstown-Kingsville Road (Route 193) on the property of the Squaw Creek Country Club. After it was closed the shaft was filled with dirt.

• OGS-21, Strip and At It - Closed in 1870. Shaft mine; produced 50 tons daily. Operated by Hamilton-Price and ran for 2 or 3 years. The shaft was filled with water after it was closed.

• OGS-22, Scoville - Opened in 1886, closed in 1888. Shaft mine. Operated by Morris Coal Company. In the years 1886 and 1887, D. D. Morris was the mine superintendent and Thomas E. Thomas was the mine boss. The shaft was filled with water.

• OGS-23, Klondike - Shaft mine. This was the northern most mine in Vienna Township. After closing this shaft was filled with water.

Above mines may be located on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Mines of Ohio Viewer.

• Addison - Opened in 1892, closed in 1896. Shaft mine. Operated by Evan Morris (1892-1896). Philip Morris was the mine superintendent in 1893. Thomas E. Thomas was the mine boss from 1893-1894. Exact location of mine is unknown.

• Andrews - Closed in 1880. Shaft mine. Opened by Chauncey Andrews and W. C. Andrews [7]. Exact location of mine is unknown.

• McMaster - Shaft mine; produced 80 tons daily in 1880. Exact location of mine is unknown.

• Powers New Shaft - Opened in 1892, closed in 1892. Shaft mine. Operated by House Block Coal Company. Exact location of mine is unknown.

*The above information was compiled from:
1) Ann Harris, "Mines in Vienna Township," Abandoned Coal Mines.
2) Douglas L. Crowell, "Investigation and Inventory of Abandoned Underground Mines in Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties, Ohio: Data Sheets for Trumbull County," Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Geological Survey, 1980. Updated 2012.

For Ohio Department of Natural Resource coal mine data sheets in Vienna Township ONLY, click here.

On January 29, 1868, the Western Reserve Chronicle noted that Trumbull County in 1867 had produced over one-fifth of the coal in Ohio--some 7,140,440 bushels. "With the new and rich mines lately discovered in Vienna, Hubbard, and Brookfield," the editors observed, "we may look for such an increase during the present year as will materially add to the already large supply, while the figures will tell a story of greater magnitude than the majority of our citizens anticipate."

On May 15, 1872, a new slope mine was opened by Vienna entrepreneur Ira B. Mackey, Sr., on the Wheeler farm, located one-half mile south of Woodford's Corners and one-quarter mile east of Sodom-Hutchins (now Sodom-Hutchings) Road. Soon after, twenty new "block" houses were built for the miners and their families.

The place where Coal Road intersects Sodom-Hutchins Road is very near where several mines and aforementioned miners' houses stood. A school for the workers' children was constructed near this intersection and still stands as a storage shed.

The Miners and Their Work

Many miners were not born in Vienna, but resettled in the Township to find work. Many of the miners were foreign-born, hailing from the European countries with histories of coal mining. Individuals from Wales, France, the German States, Scotland, England, and Ireland and accounting for much of the population increase in the 1870s.

Mining was dark, damp, and dangerous work. Electricity as a power source was not widespread, and illumination by incandescent light or carbide (invented in 1898) was not possible. Candles, lanterns, oil lights with wicks, and torches could have been used. Mining accidents were reported, though the historical record is spotty. At the Holliday Mine, for example, August Henry was injured as he fell on his picks in 1877, Edwin Hebrew was injured by a falling stone in 1880, and Salvo Mathis and William Gross died as the result of a collapsed mine ceiling in 1877.

Future State of Ohio Inspector of Mines Andrew Roy visited a Vienna mine in 1871, noting problems in ventilation and the use of only one portal for entering and exiting the mine.

Miners were paid not an hourly wage but rather for the number of tons of coal they produced. They were also given store orders for foodstuffs, meaning that Vienna's stores worked with the coal companies to control prices on commodities such as flour and sugar. In 1879, Vienna miners were paid between 50 and 80 cents per ton of coal mined. On February 25, 1880, 65 miners at the Blackberry Mine struck for a 15-cent increase per ton on the advance they received for their labor. The strike ended at March 1, with a compromised increase of 5 cents per ton. Rising food prices, decreasing coal to mine, and the lack of alternative employment in Vienna Township created the necessity for children to enter the mines.[5]

Railroads

With the advent of coal mining in Vienna, railroad companies were formed and began purchasing property. In 1868, the Liberty and Vienna Railroad was chartered, and in 1869 the line was built from the south of Girard to near Churchill in Liberty Township to the Shoo Fly Mine in Vienna. In 1872, the Mahoning Coal Railroad Company purchased land for line that started at Tyrrell Hill and ran south, just west of and parallel to Sodom-Hutchins Road. This line paralleled the road for three-quarters of a mile south of Tyrrell Hill until it angled southwesterly and eventually south again until it intersected the Liberty and Vienna Railroad line just east of the Shoo Fly Mine.

The Mahoning Coal Railroad Company purchase property for an unheard of price of $200 per acre, part of the boom mentality of the era. One of the sellers, Stephen Greenwood (Charles Seymour Greenwood's father) was permitted to harvest the timber from the 60-feet-wide strip that he sold to the Company.

Reopening of the Mines

In 1884, the State of Ohio noted that the Vienna coal fields had basically been mined out, with every farm having been tested by borings. Nevertheless, investigation for new traces were still occurring.

The 1899 Trumbull County Atlas indicates that coal branch #9 of the Mahoning Coal Company Railroad had been abandoned. At this time, coal mining in Vienna had all but ended. The shafts that had brought so much prosperity to some were filling with water.

The Great Depression led to the reopening of two mine in Vienna, by brothers William and James Walls. As many as 15 men were employed in the search for coal at the former Scoville and Stewart mines.

Not much coal came from this attempt. Its closing came when the water pumps used to clear the mines failed. The workers were paid less than 30 cents a day. The Scoville mine was closed when workers were forced to leave in haste because of the rapidly rising water. Today, loaded coal cars, railroad track, and mining tools from this venture remain buried in the mine.

Aftermath

All large mining operations have been for some time suspended in Vienna township, but a deposit of considerable value is now undergoing development by Morris, Sampson & Co., at a point about 1 mile southeast of Vienna Center. The coal of this township has never had as good a name as the coal to the south and east, but the new mine, Shadyside, has at present an excellent reputation. The coal is counted of the highest quality.[6]

The coal boom in the Mahoning Valley was quickly studied and placed in its important historical context. In 1916, Arthur John Cauffield dedicated his Master's thesis to the economic development of Trumbull County and said of coal:

Of all the natural resources which contributed to the concentration of early population and the perpetuation of industries in the Mahoning Valley, the coal was first in importance. It was the mainspring within this small physical unit, which extended thru [sic] the southern part of Trumbull County and the northeastern part of the adjacent Mahoning County. There were many coal beds on either side of this valley; but the most valuable coal was located within the block of nine townships—Youngstown, Austintown, Boardman, and Poland in Mahoning County; and Hubbard, Liberty, Weathersfield, Vienna, and Brookfield in Trumbull County. All these townships contain Block coal, which was sufficiently free from sulphur to be used in the raw state for smelting iron ire. This Block coal gave the valley a conspicuous and honored place in the history of coal mining in Ohio. The geologists once pronounced the Block coal the purest and most valuable coal known in the world. Many analyses and varied trials showed it to be the highest grade in the state.[7]

Since 1866, airshafts of various mines have presented a danger to the unwary person or animal. Airshafts are square holes open at the surface and flush with the surrounding ground level. Their original purpose was to supply air to the miners below. They are not always marked with a barrier or sign. The vertical shafts connect to the horizontal tunnels below, and are always filled with water. When the mines were abandoned, so were the shafts, unguarded and hazardous.