Coal Piers, Norfolk, Photographs

Historically, coal has been one of Virginia’s most valuable natural resources. The first coal mines were developed after coal deposits were discovered early in the 1700s west of the falls of the James River in the area that is now Midlothian, in Chesterfield County. Pit mining began by the 1760s and coal was exported from the colony. At first transported by horse and wagon to ships on the James River, coal was transported by railroad beginning in 1831. Chesterfield Railroad was the first railroad in Virginia, and train cars loaded with coal used gravity to move downhill to the docks on the James River. Mules pulled the train cars uphill and hauled the train cars back to the mines. Large coal deposits were also found in areas of western Virginia along the New River (now part of West Virginia) and in southwestern Virginia, in persent-day Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise Counties. This region became the major producer of coal in post-Civil War Virginia.

With industrialization increasing late in the 19th Century, the demand for coal surged. The expansion of railroads during the same period facilitated the cross-state transfer of coal for export around the United States and abroad. The port at Norfolk began receiving coal shipments in the 1880s, and coal quickly eclipsed cotton as the product most heavily exported from the area. By 1886 the Norfolk and Western Railway extended its tracks directly to the pier at Lambert’s Point, in Norfolk, and began constructing coal piers to facilitate shipping. Norfolk and Western consolidated into Norfolk Southern Railway, which continues to use piers at Lambert’s Point to ship coal. In 1990, this pier loaded over 39,500 tons of coal, and the seaport at Norfolk remains the largest coal export facility  in the United States today.

These photographs document the coal shipping industry in Norfolk. The cargo ship Malden is being loaded with coal in about 1920 for shipment along the east coast of the United States. The Norfolk & Western Railroad train yard at Norfolk was one of multiple coal-handling facilities at the port when this photograph was taken in the 1930s.

Coal is a profitable natural resource with environmental consequences. Emissions from coal cause acid rain from the sulphur dioxide it puts into the air. The carbon dioxide it produces when burned contributes to greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The nitrogen oxide and other particulates coal produces is noxious to human health and can cause lung and respiratory disease and smog. In Lambert’s Point, local residents attribute chronic health problems to the continued transportation of coal, which allows for coal dust to be released into the air, soil, and water. While coal continues to be mined and transported through Virginia, many citizens are looking for other ways to produce energy that will avoid the side effects of burning coal.

Citations: S/S Malden at Norfolk & Western Ry., Lamberts Point coal pier taking coastwide coal, Harry C. Mann Photograph Collection, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Digital Collections Discovery, Library of Virginia.
The coal terminal and modern coal piers of the Norfolk and Western Railway, Virginia New York World's Fair Commission, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Digital Collections Discovery, Library of Virginia.

Related Document Bank entry:
Pocahontas Colliery Store, Photograph, 1883

See more photographs in the Harry C. Mann Photograph Collection and the 1939 World's Fair Photograph Collection in the Library of Virginia's Digital Collections Discovery.

See a modern photograph of "Lambert's Point Coal Piers" online at Encyclopedia Virginia.  

For more information about coal in Virginia, see Walter Hibbard, Jr., "Virginia Coal: An Abridged History," available online through Virginia Polytechnic University. 

For information about coal and the environment, see U.S. Energy Information Adminstration, "Coal Explained: Coal and the Environment." 

Preview Activity

Look at It: Look at the pictures. What can you infer about the size of the pier and the railyard? How do you think this industry altered the Norfolk shoreline?

Post Activities

STEM STAT:  Virginia was and still is rich in minerals and other natural resources. What makes Virginia a prime location for natural resources? Use your knowledge of Earth Science, geography, and topography when answering this question. 

Current Connection: The abundance of natural resources in Southwest Virginia is still a factor in economic and public policy decisions today. Identify three competing interests from the perspectives of an environmentalist who wants to protect natural resources and from those in industries seeking to use the natural resources.  

STEM STAT: Consider the available technology to move material at different times in history and the often-challenging terrain in Virginia. Why was gravity used to bring the coal train cars downhill to ports along the James River? What mechanical advantage would there be to using gravity to move heavy coal loaded train cars? Use your knowledge of Earth Science, geography, physics when answering this question. 

Up for Debate: Debate the benefits of coal mining and use as an energy source versus the environmental effects coal mining and transportation have on the environment and the people who live nearby. Discuss whether it is better to continue or end production, and why.