Wonderful West Virginia Magazine March 1988 pg 29-32 "Newburg Early Mining & Railroad Center" BY KENNETH L.CARVELL Photo credits: Gerald Ratliff, & B & O Museum Archives Newburg history and Baltimore & Ohio RR are closely related as Newburg was the railroad town that guarded the western end of the steep stretch of tracks from Kingwood Tunnel at Tunnelton, down thru the Cheat Gorge to Rowlesburg and up the 17 mi Salt Lick grade to Terra Alta. Before the railroad was extended into the Raccoon VAlley in S.W. Preston Co. settlement of that region was sparse. Only two houses in 1850 at present site of Newburg. This was referred to as Station 88 since it was 88 mi. west of Cumberland, Md. Later the B & O RR changed the name to Simpson's Water Station. Newburg incorporated in 1868 and it was a brand new town. The town prospered and the mining west of the Cheat was spectacular. The Pittsburgh and Freeport=Kittaning seams in the Newburg area were 9 to 10 ft thick, of highest quality and easy to mine. In 1853 coal prospector LAWRENCE HENRY came to Sand Hill just so. of Newburg and he founded the ORRELL COAL CO. which in the next 30 years produced 5 million tons of high quality coal. The name Sand Hill was changed to Scotch Hill since many of the early mining families came over from Scotland and settled there. The next 50 years the demand for railroad coal grew since the B&O RR linked the central & western areas of the US with the industries along the Atlantic seaboard. Other mines opened at Newburg: Hamilton Coal & Coke Co. Mountain Brook Coal Co. Mines at nearby Austen, Hiorra and Tunnelton. Newburg owed its existence to the need for east-bound trains to add a series of helper engines before climbing the steep grades in the Cheat Valley & up Salt Lick to Terra Alta. From Terra Alta east, there was mostly level plateau country through Oakland to Alta Mont before the sharp descent to Cumberland. East-bound trains reached Newburg they also had to take on coal & water before making the steep grade ascent. In early years there were train repair shops. Newburg was a town of many nationalities. Irishmen from Cork, Connaught, and Farndown. Due to the potato famine in Ireland Irish labor was available & the Irish were excellent workers. The Corkers and the Connaughtons disliked their co-workers from Farndown and one Saturday night the Farndowners fled to the woods only to be rescued by the Grafton sheriff who put a halt to the old-country feuds. Because of the large Irish population, St John's Roman Catholic Church was the first religious house of worship established in Newburg. There were many German families who came to the U.S. to work the mine, and settled in Newburg. Lutheran services were held as early as 1859 resulting in the active Holy Trinity Lutheran Congregation. Numerous English & Scotch immigrants worked on the r.r. in the mines. Methodist Protestant, Methodist Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches remained for years. In 1937 the Methodist congregations merged to form active United Methodist Church. During the Civil War Newburg grew rapidly. For over half a century it was the largest & most properous town in Preston Co. Greatest disaster in a Newburg mine was Jan 21, 1886 when 39 men and boys were killed in a mine shaft explosion at the Orrell Coal Co. Newburg had its own newspaper off / on. in 1880 "The Broad Ax" moved from Fellowsville to Newburg and was later renamed "The Newburg Enterprise" Although Newburg's grade school dates from 1860s the 4 yr H.S. wasn't built until 1913. The H.S. closed in 1977 merging with Valley HIgh School at Masontown to form West Preston High School. Independence a small rr community 1 mile west of Newburg was a major trading center for agricultural area. For years Independence (named for Independence Day) was noted for free watermelon days provided by the firm of HARTLEY & GUSKEY at summer's end. With the diesel engines on the scene in about 1953 the coal burning locomotives were suddenly no more and the town of Newburg lost many of their young to other industrial centers. It is now a quiet town. - ------------------------------------- Getting close to the last issue in my collection. Shirley Toohey