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Farmville, Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County, North Carolina geography stubsUnincorporated communities in Chatham County, North CarolinaUnincorporated communities in North CarolinaUse mdy dates from July 2023
Coal Glen mine entrance
Coal Glen mine entrance

Farmville is a community in southeastern Chatham County, North Carolina, United States, which was once called Coal Glen. The area was the site of coal mining activities from the 18th century up the mid-1950s, and was the site of the 1925 Coal Glen mine disaster. By the time of the 1925 disaster, the town consisted of several homes and a company store.The Deep River coal field, 12 miles (19 km) long, included the Coal Glen and Egypt (Cumnock) mines.A historical marker noting the mine disaster was dedicated June 3, 2017 at Farmville Community Church at U.S. 15-501 and Walter Bright Road north of Sanford.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Farmville, Chatham County, North Carolina (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Farmville, Chatham County, North Carolina
Everette Dowdy Road, Sanford

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 35.570833333333 ° E -79.22 °
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Address

Everette Dowdy Road 1818
27330 Sanford
North Carolina, United States
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Coal Glen mine entrance
Coal Glen mine entrance
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Coal Glen mine disaster
Coal Glen mine disaster

The Coal Glen mine disaster was a series of explosions that occurred on May 27, 1925, at a coal mine in Coal Glen, Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. At least 53 miners died in the explosions, making it the deadliest industrial disaster in North Carolina's history. The incident also partly contributed to North Carolina's adoption of a workers' compensation law several years later. The Coal Glen mine was opened by the Carolina Coal Company in North Carolina's Deep River Coal Field in about 1921. Though equipped with a ventilation system, signs of firedamp buildup were observed the day before the disaster. On the morning of May 27, 1925, three explosions occurred in the mine. The first explosion killed all underground workers and their team of mules, while the subsequent blasts injured the mine superintendent and temporarily blocked the shaft with debris. Recovery efforts were led by State Adjutant-General John Van Bokkelen Metts and a group of engineers, with additional support offered by the United States Bureau of Mines and civic groups from the nearby city of Sanford. Local authorities confirmed at least 53 men were killed, but the actual death toll may be higher. State and federal investigators later concluded that the first explosion was caused by an improperly set blasting charge which blew out a dust cloud that subsequently ignited. The disaster left 38 women widowed and 79 children fatherless. The mine was permanently closed in 1953 and later flooded. A state historical marker commemorating the event was dedicated in 2017.