Bon Air Coal, Land, and Lumber Company and Clifty Coal and Coke Company
Settlers on Bon Air Mountain, on the border of Cumberland and White Counties, had faced struggle and challenge for many years, even after finding coal deposits available to them by pick and shovel. One could go out back and pick up a few lumps of coal to burn in the fireplace or stove. Successful coal mining required, as a key component, a way to get the product to market. The railroad was extended from McMinnville to Sparta in 1884. With the railroad expansion and the discovery of coal in the area, Bon Air Coal, Land, and Lumber Company and Clifty Coal and Coke Company brought mining to the region. Along with this many jobs were created, with nice salaries and plenty of work, families starting letting their boys go work in the mines as early as 12 years old. The towns around the mining areas had populations of 500 or less until this boom took place and they were some of the larger cities in Tennessee.
Shaft Coal Mining
Along the Cumberland Plateua, shaft coal mining was introduced and became a booming business till the 1930's. Composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, coal is a combustible rock of organic origin with fewer amounts of nitrogen, sulphur and other elements. Usually known as a fossil fuel, it is a willingly combustible fuel source. There are two types of mining, surface and underground mining. Shaft mining is a form of underground mining, or mining at a minimum depth of 180 ft. A shaft is drilled vertically into the earth to access ores and minerals deep within cavities.
In this region there were two different type coals mined, anthracite and bituminous. Anthracite is the highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage of volatile matter. Bituminous coal is a middle rank coal between subbituminous and anthracite. Bituminous usually has a high heating (Btu) value and is the most common type of coal used in electricity generation in the United States. Bituminous coal appears shiny and smooth when you first see it, but look closer and you may see it has layers. Most of the coal mined out of Ravenscroft Mine was bituminous, a coal that is between 100 to 300 million years old in the United States. This type coal is used mainly for the production of electricity.
Dormant for many years, White County has acquired the 25 acres of Ravenscroft Mine and made a walking trail and park out of the area. They have many informational signs along the trail, and the shaft stack is still standing along with some building foundations. Please stay off the foundations, there are bars sticking up that can be dangerous. Answers to the questions will come from the signs and the reading. To log this earthcache, please message or email us the answers to the following questions.
1. What was the main type of coal mined in this area and how old is this coal?
2. Why do you think this area was a hotbed for coal mining over Middle or Western TN?
3. What type rock is the mine shaft made from? What height is the shaft above ground?
4. What geological impact do you feel the mining had in this region? Why do you think so?
5. (optional) Please post a pic at the mine shaft?
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