Mining Timeline

Coal Mining, Westmoreland Coal Timeline
November 16, 2004

This is how Westmoreland's Big Stone Gap office complex looked in August 1995. (Sonny Young photo)

The Post November 16, 2004

Here's a timeline associated with Westmoreland Coal and coal mining in the area:
* 1792 - Lehigh Coal Mining Co. created to mine anthracite coal in Pennsylvania.

* 1813 - Workman at Josiah White's Philadelphia iron works discovers long-lasting burning qualities of anthracite.

* 1823 - White sends 9,000 tons of coal downriver to Philadelphia, launching the first major coal boom.

* 1828 - John Leisenring becomes proprietor of the luxurious Mansion House hotel in White's company town, Mauch Chunk.

* 1836 - Leisenring's son John goes to work for White's firm, Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., as a canal engineer.

* 1842 - Reading Railroad reaches coal country.

* 1848 - Bates Union, the first miners' union, is formed but collapses.

* 1852 - Pennsylvania Railroad connects Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

* 1854 - John Leisenring Jr. forms Sharpe, Leisenring & Co., a contract mining operation near Mauch Chunk. Meanwhile, Philadelphia investors form Westmoreland Coal Co.

* 1861 - Civil War begins. American Miners' Association formed in St. Louis.

* 1863 - Robert E. Lee invades Pennsylvania, hoping to cut the North's coal supplies.

* 1869 - Knights of Labor formed in Philadelphia.

* 1871 - Henry Clay Frick buys first coking coal lands in western Pennsylvania.

* 1873 - Andrew Carnegie opens steel works in western Pennsylvania; Frick expands his holdings.

* 1876 - First murder trials for members of the militant miners' group Molly Maguires in the wake of violent mine protests.

* 1879 - John Imboden promotes coal development in Southwest Virginia.

* 1881 - John Leisenring's group begins coke production at Connellsville, Penn.

* 1882 - The Leisenring group acquires Tinsalia Coal & Iron Co., co-founded by Imboden. It becomes Virginia Coal & Iron Co.

* 1882 - Andrew Carnegie becomes silent partner and biggest customer of Henry Clay Frick. The next year, Frick organizes Coke Syndicate to control prices among all operators.

* 1884 - John Leisenring Jr. dies, is succeeded by son Ned.

* 1889 - Frick forces Leisenring group to sell its Connellsville operation, bringing a new focus on Virginia properties.

* 1890 - United Mine Workers of America founded.

* 1894 - Ned Leisenring dies, is succeeded by brother-in-law John Wentz.

* 1896 - Virginia Coal & Iron opens first mines and coke ovens at Stonega.

* 1902 - The same company's mines leased to newly formed Stonega Coke & Coal Co. Eventually, the Stonega coal camp is followed by camps at Osaka, Roda, Arno, Exeter, Dunbar and Derby.

* 1904 - John Wentz turns over bituminous coal operations to son Daniel, retains presidency of anthracite operations.

* 1914 - Ludlow Massacre: Colorado National Guardsmen open fire on camp of UMW strikers.

* 1916-17 - John Wentz acquires large block of stock in Westmoreland Coal.

* 1917 - Coal operators form National Coal Association. U.S. declares war on Germany.

* 1918 - John Wentz dies, is succeeded by Daniel Wentz.

* 1919 - John L. Lewis assumes duties of UMW president; elected to the office the following year.

* 1920-21 - Daniel Wentz is president of National Coal Association.

* 1926 - Daniel Wentz dies suddenly, is succeeded by Otis Mouser. Ned's son, Ted Leisenring Sr., becomes vice president of most family companies.

* 1929 - Stonega's output peaks at 3.25 million tons, not to be exceeded until 1964.

* 1929 - Stock market crashes. Westmoreland president S. Pemberton Hutchinson dies. Westmoreland's management turned over to Stonega. Mouser dies, is succeeded by Ted Leisenring Sr.

* 1933 - Congress passes National Industrial Recovery Act, spurring massive UMW organizing drive.

* 1935 - Lewis withdraws UMW from American Federation of Labor, founds Congress of Industrial Organizations.

* 1941-42 - UMW pledges no strikes in wake of America's entry into World War II; later breaks pledge in protest of frozen wages.

* 1946 - UMW health and retirement fund established.

* 1946-47 - Federal government takes over mines during nationwide strike.

* 1949 - Ted Leisenring Jr. begins work for Stonega in Big Stone Gap.

* 1951 - Ted Sr. resigns due to ill health, is succeeded by Ralph Knode.

* 1955 - AFL and CIO merge.

* 1959 - Ted Leisenring Jr. becomes president of Stonega.

* 1960 - Lewis retires from UMW presidency.

* 1961 - Leisenring becomes president of Westmoreland and Virginia Coal & Iron.

* 1963 - Tony Boyle elected UMW president.

* 1964 - Stonega merges with Westmoreland.

* 1967 - Virginia Coal & Iron becomes Penn Virginia Corp.

* 1968 - Westmoreland acquires major West Virginia coal holdings, becomes nation's largest coal exporter.

* 1969 - Boyle rival Jock Yablonski is murdered.

* 1970-71 - Leisenring becomes National Coal Association president.

* 1972 - Arnold Miller defeats Boyle for UMW presidency.

* 1973 - Oil embargo and energy crisis trigger new coal boom.

* 1973-76 - Wildcat strikes become critical problem.

* 1974 - Boyle convicted for ordering Yablonski's murder.

* 1974 - Westmoreland begins mining lignite in Montana's Powder River Basin, joining movement to develop low-sulfur, non-union operations in western states.

* 1975-76 - Coal industry achieves record employment and earnings. Westmoreland records highest return on investment of any U.S. company.

* 1976-78 - Leisenring chairs the Bituminous Coal Operators Association.

* 1977-78 - UMW strikes for 111 days.

* 1977 - Congress passes Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Clean Air Act amendments crack down on power plant emissions. In less than three years, 40 percent of Southwest Virginia surface mining shuts down. Westmoreland lays off 1,500 workers.

* 1979-83 - Nationwide recession. Drop in U.S. steel production hurts metallurgical coal production, especially in West Virginia.

* 1979 - Arnold Miller resigns as UMW president, is succeeded by longtime Appalachia resident Sam Church.

* 1980 - Westmoreland suspends dividends.

* 1982 - Church is defeated for re-election by Richard Trumka.

* 1988 - Ted Leisenring retires, is succeeded by Pemberton Hutchinson, but remains chairman of board of directors.

* 1989-90 - UMW strike against Pittston Coal helps spark 1992 federal legislation requiring coal companies to help fund benefits for retired miners whose employers have gone out of business.

* 1993 - Westmoreland loses $94 million for the year.

* 1994 - Chris Seglem becomes Westmoreland president and seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, largely from obligations under the federal health and retirement plan.

* 1995 - Westmoreland closes the Virginia division, lays off nearly 650 remaining employees, moves headquarters from Philadelphia to Colorado.

* 1999 - Westmoreland emerges from bankruptcy.

- Main source: "In the Kingdom of Coal," by Dan Rottenberg.