History of Van Lear

Incorporated in 1912 in Johnson County, Kentucky, Van Lear was named for a director of Consolidation Coal Company (Consol), Van Lear Black. It owes its existence to the viable efforts of John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo. Mayo bought coal rights to land along Millers Creek in Johnson County, which he later sold to Northern Coal and Coke, which in turn was later acquired by Consolidation Coal Company of Western Maryland. Johnson County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. ... The Consolidation Coal Company was established in 1864 and headquartered in the city of Cumberland, Maryland for the first 85 years (1864-1945) where the company became the largest bituminous coal company in the eartern United States . ... Millers Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. ...

Consol built five miles of railroad into the Johnson County property with money loaned by Van Lear Black's Fidelity Trust. Eventually five coal mines were opened and operated in Van Lear from 1910 through 1946. The vast coal deposits were mined from the five underground mines around the clock. The miners were a cosmopolitian mix of Irish, Itialian, Slav and native Kentuckians. Workers included both blacks and whites. In its boom years the population grew to over 4,000. In 1945 Consol merged with Pittsburgh Coal Company, then divested itself of its Miller's Creek properties. The people who lived in the company houses were given first chance to purchase those homes and many of them did just that. Ultimately, most of the major buildings were torn down, and the railroad removed. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ...

Van Lear today

Currently, Van Lear is an unincorporated community. There are no operating deep mines in Van Lear proper, although some mines are operating nearby. Most of the residents of Van Lear work in locations outside of the community. Many work in the cities of Paintsville, Prestonburg, Pikeville and others. Workers often are employed in the areas of mining, education, health care, government, and various retail service occupations. The present population of Van Lear proper is approximately 1,601. The total population of the Van Lear postal district is over 3,000. Prestonsburg, the county seat GR6 of Floyd County is located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky on the banks of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. ... Downtown Pikeville, KY Pikeville is a city in Pike County, Kentucky, United States. ...

References

• http://www.vanlear.org
• http://www.jamesbowling.freehostia.com/vanlear.html