Itmann, West Virginia Explained

Official Name:Itmann, West Virginia
Settlement Type:Census-designated place (CDP)
Motto:Itmann: The Suburb of Mullens
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:West Virginia
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Wyoming
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Sq Mi:1.007
Area Land Sq Mi:0.987
Area Water Sq Mi:0.020
Population As Of:2010
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:293
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:1388
Coordinates:37.5731°N -81.4181°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:24847
Area Code:304
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:54-57148[3]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1543986[4]

Itmann is a census-designated place (CDP) and former mining town located in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States, between Pineville and Mullens off West Virginia Route 16. As of the 2010 census, its population was 293; it had 138 homes, 119 of which were occupied.

History

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.[5] [6] 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.[7] 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 then-booming neighboring city, Mullens.

Explosion

There was a large methane explosion on December 16, 1972 in the Itmann Mine #3.[8] The explosion killed five miners and left three others injured.[9] The mines at Itmann have been recorded to have produced 26,065,526 tons of coal.[10]

Current

Itmann has a post office,[11] 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 Office 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.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. 2011-04-23. 2011-02-12.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2011-05-14.
  3. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  4. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  5. Web site: Isaac T. Mann Biography . Coal Camp USA . April 15, 2007 . Brief History . 2007-10-27 .
  6. Temple, Robert D. Edge Effects: The Border-Name Places, (2nd edition, 2009), iUniverse,, pg. 323.
  7. Web site: Itmann, West Virginia History . Bramwell, WV . Bramwell, WV . Feb 2, 2007 . Brief History . 2008-02-11 .
  8. Web site: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Fact Sheet 95-8 - Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the United States . Mine Safety and Health Administration . Mine Safety and Health Administration . January 17, 2008 . Fact Sheet . 2008-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160210095305/http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT8.HTM . February 10, 2016 . dead .
  9. Web site: List of Mine Disasters in the US . Center for Disease Control . Center for Disease Control . December 18, 2007 . List . 2008-02-08 .
  10. Web site: Historical West Virginia Coal Production from 1883 . www.wvminesafety.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050207124005/http://www.wvminesafety.org/hist_tonnage.htm . 2005-02-07.
  11. http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm USPS Postmaster Finder