Itmann, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Itmann is an unincorporated
census-designated place
and former mining town located in Wyoming County
, West Virginia
, United States
, between Pineville
and Mullens
off of West Virginia Route 16. As of the 2010 census
, its population was 293; it had 138 homes, 119 of which were occupied.
In 1916, the Pocahontas Fuel Company constructed 120 dwellings near the mouth of Barkers Creek
. The Itmann mine
was opened in 1918 by the Pocahontas Fuel Co. (now CONSOL) It was named after the president of the company, Isaac T. Mann, or I. T. Mann which was eventually shortened down to Itmann. A single room school house was built in addition to the massive stone company store. During the 1950s and 1960s it was the most productive mine in West Virginia. The coal seam Pocahontas No. 3 was one of the best to be found in the world, and the coal is rated at 15,000 Btu/lb (35 MJ/kg). By the 1980s Island Creek Coal Co. was mining in Pocahontas No. 3 at Itmann, employing around 500 miners. A larger school was built shortly after and the single room school house was converted into the UMWA hall. During his campaign, John F. Kennedy
entered one of the three Itmann mines while visiting the then booming neighboring city, Mullens.
is still standing and is a registered historical landmark in West Virginia and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990. Half of the company store was used as a homeless shelter while the other half was unused. Now it is empty. The welding shop is still operational and fabricates escalators for local mines.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
and former mining town located in Wyoming County
Wyoming County, West Virginia
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,796. Its county seat is Pineville. Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County and named for the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains."-Geography:According to the U.S...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, between Pineville
Pineville, West Virginia
Pineville is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 715 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wyoming County.-History:Pineville was settled by William Short in 1853....
and Mullens
Mullens, West Virginia
Mullens is a city in Wyoming County, West Virginia. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 1,769.Located in a valley along the Guyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001...
off of West Virginia Route 16. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, its population was 293; it had 138 homes, 119 of which were occupied.
History
Barkers Creek
Barkers Creek is a tributary of the Guyandotte River, long, in southern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural area on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.Barkers...
. The Itmann mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
was opened in 1918 by the Pocahontas Fuel Co. (now CONSOL) It was named after the president of the company, Isaac T. Mann, or I. T. Mann which was eventually shortened down to Itmann. A single room school house was built in addition to the massive stone company store. During the 1950s and 1960s it was the most productive mine in West Virginia. The coal seam Pocahontas No. 3 was one of the best to be found in the world, and the coal is rated at 15,000 Btu/lb (35 MJ/kg). By the 1980s Island Creek Coal Co. was mining in Pocahontas No. 3 at Itmann, employing around 500 miners. A larger school was built shortly after and the single room school house was converted into the UMWA hall. During his campaign, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
entered one of the three Itmann mines while visiting the then booming neighboring city, Mullens.
Explosion
There was a large methane explosion on December 16, 1972 in the Itmann Mine #3. The explosion killed five miners and left three others injured.Current
Itmann has a post office, a church, the Council on Aging, and a welding shop. The former school is home to the offices of the Council on Aging. The single room school that was converted into the UMWA hall is currently unused. The Itmann Company Store and OfficeItmann Company Store and Office
Itmann Company Store and Office is a historic commercial building located at Itmann, Wyoming County, West Virginia. It was designed by noted architect Alex B. Mahood and built in 1923-1925. It is a Classical Revival style complex built of native sandstone. It consists of four sections laid out...
is still standing and is a registered historical landmark in West Virginia and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990. Half of the company store was used as a homeless shelter while the other half was unused. Now it is empty. The welding shop is still operational and fabricates escalators for local mines.