A little-known coal mining district emerged in Putnam County (WV) at the close of the Civil War. By the mid-1940s, this district’s large-scale underground mining operations had ceased forever. Among the early coal villages that sprang up along the northern bank of the Kanawha River during this time was a coal camp named Plymouth.

Presented by Todd A. Hanson, author of Campbell’s Creek – A Portrait of a Coal Mining Community, this book explores Plymouth’s coal and river transportation history along with its connection to Campbell’s Creek (Kanawha County). These two mining districts were in separate counties nearly 25 miles apart, yet became intertwined by industry, ownership, and the Great Kanawha River.

Through brief biographical sketches, historical notes, tidbits and photographs, the Plymouth miners, riverboat workers and their families’ legacy are celebrated honoring their contribution to the industrial and economic development of the Kanawha Valley.