Title: |
Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company Records |
Repository: |
Ohio University
Phone: 740-593-2710 http://www.ohio.edu/library/collections/archives-special-collections/ |
Creator: |
Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company |
Dates: |
1870-1939 |
Quantity: |
80 cubic feet |
Abstract: |
Ledgers, maps, and miscellaneous |
Identification: |
MSS155 |
Language: |
The records are in English |
In 1883, several coal and iron companies merged together to create the Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company (CHCIC.) The CHCIC was also known as "the Syndicate" because it owned most of the land and mining operations in the Hocking Valley (HV.) In the spring of 1884, the CHCIC proposed a ten cent per ton wage reduction for miners, who rejected the proposal. The CHCIC reduced the wage a further ten cents per ton and required miners to sign a contract. The miners of the Hocking Valley went on strike. The operators imported "blackleg" workers and hired Pickerton guards. The strike went on for nine months. In the end, the strikers accepted the terms offered by the Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company. By the 1920s, the CHCIC had mined most of the coal and iron available in HV and left the region.
The Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company records includes time books, ore scale books, ledgers, level books, rental books, store books, cash books, letter books, shipping records, payroll books and maps. Many of the records contain listings of the names of thousands of employees, customers, and other people that had contact with the company. Names are often indexed and easily found. Employees are sometimes listed with job classifications, wages paid, rent, and company store records.
The following terms have been used to describe this collection.
Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.
A paper copy of the finding aid is available.