Little Soddy Historic Mining Area

Little Soddy Historic Mining Area

Photo descriptions by Cumberland Trails Conference 

For more information about visiting this area

Synopsis of Mining History on the Little Soddy Creek Valley 

THE FIRST MINE

The first mine in the Soddy area was established in 1866 by the Soddy Coal Company. This mine is thought to have been the first tunnel mine in the state of Tennessee. The company was reorganized a number of times until around 1909 when it was bought out by the Durham Coal and Iron Company of the Carolinas, who operated until 1929, when it it was forced to close because of the Great Depression. First, the coal was sent down to the base of the mountain via an incline cable rail system and then pulled by mule, all the way to the Tennessee River. In, the late 1870’s a series of locks and dams were built to allow barges brought up Soddy Creek to the tipple at Long Mine Entrance Spring, halfway to the river.

FIBROTHER’S MINE

The collapsed mine portal is one of two parallel shafts of the Fibrothers mine. The second portal is just around the bluff. These mines were established by the five local Millsap brothers about 1930 shortly after the Durham Coal Company collapsed in the Great Depression. The original name was the “Five Brother’s Mine” but was quickly shortened to “Fibrothers”. The second shaft was parallel to the first one, a rather unique mining technique for its time. The large slate piles across the stream are most probably the unburnable tailings from this mine. 

INCLINE ENGINE HOUSE

The structure located on the concrete foundation which supports the bridge was the Incline Engine House. It was from here that the train of coal cars was controlled on the descent and return down to the foot of the mountain. This was accomplished via the control of large drums upon which the cable was wound. These cables and tracks would have run in a straight line across the north side of the old boiler house just downstream from the bridge. It should be noted that the stream was located south of this location, but was changed when the strip mining down from Clemmons pushed debris over the edge filling in the old stream bed. At one time, Mr. Levi operated this system. Mr. Tom Levi, formerly of Jones Gap Road, and a long time friend of the trail, is a descendant of Mr. Levi.

BOILER/COMPRESOR HOUSE

The boiler house was the main source of power for the mining operation in the valley. Eventually, as mining technology improved this building also became the site of the various compressors. Water was taken out of the stream to operate the boilers. The steam was used to operate various pieces of equipment, including air compressors, and eventually generators for electric power for the operations of the mine and various supporting structures. 

ORE CAR PATH

This particular route was probably used to move coal down to the main incline, where they were coupled together in 30 car trains and then moved to the valley below. The coal was transported in a car similar to the one shown here. This car had a capacity of approx. 1 ton. It was pulled by a mule while in the mine between the main tunnel and the workroom of the miner. In the old days, it was also pulled out of the mine by the mule, but in later years, electric cars were used to pull the cars out of the mines.

INCLINE ORE CAR PATH

The length of the incline was 7150 feet with an elevation change of 450 feet to Cincinnati Southern Railway at the foot of the mountain. It crossed the stream 7 times on the way to the base of the mountain. It was a single-track system with an up/down by-pass just below the point where the trail heads up the bluff to cross Hotwater Road. The by-pass was long enough to accommodate a 30 car train in both directions. It took 9 minutes for a 30 car train to make the trip to the bottom, with each car carrying 1 ton of coal. At the base of the incline was located the tipple, wash station, and eventually coke ovens.

MINERS WASH HOUSE

Upon the bluff only a small portion of miner’s washhouse remains – a little bit of the concrete floor and a small portion of the rock footer. It was here where they would attempt to wash off the dirt and grime of a long day in the mines before returning home. . Many miners and their families lived in company houses along Durham Street. Their day started early as they made their way up from the valley or down from the mountain, carrying their metal lunch cans, to be at their work station by 7:AM. Then after 9 hours in the semidarkness of the mine, they exited by 4:PM, just prior to the blasting which would provide them coal to work the next day. Even lunch was taken in the semidarkness of the mine, as it generally was a long trek out to reach daylight.

OPERATIONS HUB

This area was the operational hub of the mining that took place in the valley. It extended all the way to the Mule Barn to the west and east to where the incline starts down the mountain. As can be seen in the picture, it contained a rather extensive switching yard for the coal cars as well as the many structures to support the mining operation. It is believed that the two foundations to the left housed generators that produced electricity for the mines. Next came the blacksmith shop that was a vital part of maintaining the coal cars, tracks, mule shoes, miner’s tools, etc. Next were the Tail Room and then the Engine House.

JEFFREY HOMESITE

This is the site of Mr. Tom Jeffrey’s dwelling. He is the only known person to reside in the Little Soddy Gulf during the mining era, except for a few African American families near the foot of the mountain. This was an ideal location for his homestead as he was the caretaker of the mules and the mule barn was just downstream from this location. The mules, along with the miners, were the lifeblood of the early mining operations, and so were given the best care possible. Mr. Jeffrey inspected each mule at the start of the day as well as making sure the harnesses were in good condition. At day’s end, stationed at the mine’s exit, he again checked each mule’s harnesses and shoes.