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281:, on a terrace overlooking Deckers Creek. Built into the side of the hills rising above the creek are a series of 140 stone and brick coke ovens, formed in an undulating shape conforming to the terrain. Each oven is roughly 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter and 7 feet (2.1 m) high, with an exterior shell of hand-cut stone. The openings for accessing the oven are lined with fire brick, as is the interior chamber in which the coke is made. At the top of each oven's dome is an opening into which coal is fed, and there is an arched opening on the side, from which the finished coke is removed. The shape of the oven focuses the heat of the fire to more efficiently transform the coal.
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When in operation, the ovens were fed from a track-mounted electrically powered hopper that ran on tracks above the ovens, and the finished coke was loaded onto railroad cars on a spur track that ran in front of them. The tracks facilitating these operations have been removed. The complex also
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296:, one of the barons of West Virginia's coal industry in the late 19th century. The ovens here are among more than 400 that Elkins and Davis built throughout coal country. Elkins operated this facility until 1918, when it was acquired by the
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manufacturing facility to use beehive ovens, and was a major industrial site in northern West
Virginia in the first half of the 20th century. Surviving elements include a row of 140
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416:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Elkins Coal and Coke Company Historic District / Mercury Coal and Coke Company"
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The complex went into production in 1907, after the railroad had been developed to
Masontown. It was established by
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300:. Bethlehem only operated the facility until 1920, moving production to more efficient facilities in
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The former Elkins Coal and Coke
Company site is located about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southwest of
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Industrial buildings and structures on the
National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
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originally had office, storage, and maintenance buildings, all of which have been demolished.
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Historic districts on the
National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
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Elkins Coal & Coke
Company, Bretz Ovens, Bretz vicinity, Preston County, WV
333:
National
Register of Historic Places listings in Preston County, West Virginia
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National
Register of Historic Places in Preston County, West Virginia
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492:", 4 photos, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
485:", 4 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
478:", 6 photos, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
471:", 12 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
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Category:National
Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
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is a historic industrial site near the crossroads village of
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Historic
American Engineering Record in West Virginia
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List of National Historic Landmarks in West Virginia
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Historic districts in Preston County, West Virginia
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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490:Elkins Coal & Coke Company, Railroad Building
66:Pulling and Charging the Ovens (HABS photo, 1974)
16:Historic district in West Virginia, United States
380:"Elkins Coal and Coke Company Historic District"
243:Elkins Coal and Coke Company Historic District
32:Elkins Coal and Coke Company Historic District
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979:National Historic Landmarks in West Virginia
923:Portal:National Register of Historic Places
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483:Elkins Coal & Coke Company, Powerhouse
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384:National Historic Landmark summary listing
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527:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
476:Elkins Coal & Coke Company, Warehouse
40:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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292:, who was, along with his father-in-law
49:U.S. National Historic Landmark District
386:. National Park Service. Archived from
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353:"National Register Information System"
277:and 0.25 miles (0.40 km) west of
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465:Historic American Engineering Record
358:National Register of Historic Places
253:. It is the site of the last major
132:Bretz, Preston County, West Virginia
414:Ralph J. Christian (October 1978).
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446:Accompanying 6 photos, from 1978.
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251:Preston County, West Virginia
118:Show map of the United States
21:United States historic place
895:National Historic Landmarks
261:. The site was declared a
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263:National Historic Landmark
201:Elkins Coal & Coke Co.
949:Coal mining in Appalachia
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206:NRHP reference
93:Show map of West Virginia
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421:. National Park Service.
275:Masontown, West Virginia
954:Mining in West Virginia
488:HAER No. WV-7-C, "
481:HAER No. WV-7-B, "
474:HAER No. WV-7-A, "
467:(HAER) No. WV-7, "
298:Bethlehem Steel Company
269:Description and history
550:Keeper of the Register
434:Cite journal requires
565:National Park Service
545:Contributing property
363:National Park Service
279:West Virginia Route 7
178:36 acres (15 ha)
159:39.54500°N 79.80972°W
232:Designated NHLD
390:on October 28, 2009
365:. January 23, 2007.
164:39.54500; -79.80972
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316:The ovens in 2012
290:Stephen B. Elkins
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944:Coking works
427:cite journal
392:. Retrieved
388:the original
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227:July 1, 1983
18:
883:Other lists
394:October 14,
235:May 4, 1983
162: /
138:Coordinates
938:Categories
789:Pocahontas
754:Monongalia
664:Greenbrier
339:References
150:79°48′35″W
147:39°32′42″N
784:Pleasants
779:Pendleton
694:Jefferson
669:Hampshire
644:Doddridge
302:Baltimore
265:in 1983.
198:Architect
809:Randolph
769:Nicholas
734:McDowell
724:Marshall
684:Harrison
609:Berkeley
595:Lists by
322:See also
213:83003249
128:Location
890:Bridges
874:Wyoming
854:Webster
824:Summers
814:Ritchie
804:Raleigh
794:Preston
744:Mineral
709:Lincoln
699:Kanawha
689:Jackson
674:Hancock
649:Fayette
634:Calhoun
619:Braxton
604:Barbour
188: (
859:Wetzel
844:Upshur
834:Tucker
829:Taylor
799:Putnam
764:Morgan
759:Monroe
739:Mercer
719:Marion
654:Gilmer
629:Cabell
624:Brooke
597:county
538:Topics
448:
849:Wayne
839:Tyler
819:Roane
749:Mingo
729:Mason
714:Logan
704:Lewis
679:Hardy
659:Grant
614:Boone
419:(pdf)
247:Bretz
183:Built
869:Wood
864:Wirt
774:Ohio
639:Clay
444:and
440:help
396:2007
255:coke
241:The
190:1906
186:1906
175:Area
529:in
249:in
208:No.
940::
431::
429:}}
425:{{
404:^
382:.
371:^
361:.
355:.
519:e
512:t
505:v
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438:(
398:.
192:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
