The Eastern Regional Coal Archives is Southern West Virginia's Research Facility Dedicated to Collecting, Preserving, and Making Available The Priceless Heritage of the Coal Fields.

The Eastern Regional Coal Archives is a unique example of public-private sector cooperation.   The 1983 Pocahontas Coalfield Centennial  Celebration collected a great quantity of historical  materials.  At the conclusion of the centennial, the accumulated memorabilia was deposited in the Craft Memorial Library in Bluefield, the Mercer County Service Center.  Funding for the ongoing collection of coalfield history comes from the A. R. Matthews Foundation, with support service from the public library.  The Coal Archives seeks to make public history an active force in the development of the coalfield region.                                                  

The Eastern Regional Coal Archives is a member of the 
American Association for State and Local History, 
the Society of American Archivists,
the West Virginia Regional History Association, 
as well as other professional associations.

Please call for an appointment if you 
plan on visiting the archives.

If the archives can be of service to anyone interested in the coal industry and its rich and unique history, or if readers have materials which they feel ought to be preserved so that future generations can understand the mighty heritage of the coalfields, please feel free to contact the:

Eastern Regional Coal Archives
Craft Memorial Library
600 Commerce Street
Bluefield, WV, 24701
(304) 325-3943

For more information, email or call Becky Kauffman at 304-325-3943.