Kempton is a ghost town in Garrett County, Maryland. [1] Kempton is also partially located in Tucker County, West Virginia. [2]
Geography
Kempton is located on the North Branch Potomac River, [3] which feeds the larger Potomac River. [4] Runoff from human activity at Kempton feeds the wetlands at Laurel Run. [3] Kempton contains a vast mining complex, much of which has been reforested. [5] Mining at Kempton takes up more than 7,680 acres of land. [4] Kempton is partially located in Tucker County, West Virginia, close to Thomas. [2] The location of the town is nearby to several notable natural sites, such as Blackwater Falls State Park and the Dolly Sods Wilderness. [2]
History
Kempton was founded in 1913 as a company town of the coal industry. [6] Kempton was founded by the Davis Coal and Coke Company. [7] In 1915, mining operations began at Kempton Mine Company, a subsidiary of Davis C&C Company. [8] By the 1930s, Kempton's population had grown to approximately 900 residents. [6] In 1950, the main mine, Mine No.42, [9] closed unexpectedly. [6]
Decline
After the mining industry dried up during the 1950s following unexpected mine closures, the population of Kempton declined sharply. [6] As of 2003, a small number of residents remain in old company housing at Kempton. [10] Over the years, mining at Kempton has put significant strain on the local watershed. [3] The mining complexes at Kempton are the most significant contributor to acid mine drainage (AMD) on the North Branch, which used to house thriving trout and bass industries. [4] After the closure of Mine No.42 in 1950, lack of maintenance on the abandoned mines caused large amounts of AMD into surrounding waterways. [9] In 1977, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed to help regulate the environmental impacts of both active and abandoned coal mines. [11] By this time, many of the mines were abandoned and Kempton had already been a ghost town for several years. [11]
See also
References
- ^ "Kempton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Coberly, Eric. "Kempton Refuse and AMD AML Project" (PDF). dep.wv.gov. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^
a
b
c Skylstad, P. L.; Dodge, K. M. (2002).
"Annual Report for the Kempton Mine Complex Wetlands Monitoring and Restoration Project".
{{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=( help) - ^ a b c Davis, Tamara; Lyons, Constance. "THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE KEMPTON MINE COMPLEX, MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA, USING GIS TECHNOLOGY" (PDF). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ WMDAdmin |. "Video Camera Monitoring of Kempton Mine – Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc". Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ghost Town". www.frostburg.edu. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Kempton--Potomac River Guide". www.riverexplorer.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Kempton". Abandoned. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kempton Historical Archaeology Project". Kempton Historical Archaeology Project. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "KEMPTON, MD". www.coalcampusa.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Long Dark Shadow of Coal: Acid Mine Drainage in Kempton". www.frostburg.edu. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
39°12′24″N 79°29′07″W / 39.20667°N 79.48528°W
 | This United States ghost town-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Kempton is a ghost town in Garrett County, Maryland. [1] Kempton is also partially located in Tucker County, West Virginia. [2]
Geography
Kempton is located on the North Branch Potomac River, [3] which feeds the larger Potomac River. [4] Runoff from human activity at Kempton feeds the wetlands at Laurel Run. [3] Kempton contains a vast mining complex, much of which has been reforested. [5] Mining at Kempton takes up more than 7,680 acres of land. [4] Kempton is partially located in Tucker County, West Virginia, close to Thomas. [2] The location of the town is nearby to several notable natural sites, such as Blackwater Falls State Park and the Dolly Sods Wilderness. [2]
History
Kempton was founded in 1913 as a company town of the coal industry. [6] Kempton was founded by the Davis Coal and Coke Company. [7] In 1915, mining operations began at Kempton Mine Company, a subsidiary of Davis C&C Company. [8] By the 1930s, Kempton's population had grown to approximately 900 residents. [6] In 1950, the main mine, Mine No.42, [9] closed unexpectedly. [6]
Decline
After the mining industry dried up during the 1950s following unexpected mine closures, the population of Kempton declined sharply. [6] As of 2003, a small number of residents remain in old company housing at Kempton. [10] Over the years, mining at Kempton has put significant strain on the local watershed. [3] The mining complexes at Kempton are the most significant contributor to acid mine drainage (AMD) on the North Branch, which used to house thriving trout and bass industries. [4] After the closure of Mine No.42 in 1950, lack of maintenance on the abandoned mines caused large amounts of AMD into surrounding waterways. [9] In 1977, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed to help regulate the environmental impacts of both active and abandoned coal mines. [11] By this time, many of the mines were abandoned and Kempton had already been a ghost town for several years. [11]
See also
References
- ^ "Kempton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Coberly, Eric. "Kempton Refuse and AMD AML Project" (PDF). dep.wv.gov. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^
a
b
c Skylstad, P. L.; Dodge, K. M. (2002).
"Annual Report for the Kempton Mine Complex Wetlands Monitoring and Restoration Project".
{{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=( help) - ^ a b c Davis, Tamara; Lyons, Constance. "THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE KEMPTON MINE COMPLEX, MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA, USING GIS TECHNOLOGY" (PDF). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ WMDAdmin |. "Video Camera Monitoring of Kempton Mine – Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc". Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ghost Town". www.frostburg.edu. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Kempton--Potomac River Guide". www.riverexplorer.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Kempton". Abandoned. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kempton Historical Archaeology Project". Kempton Historical Archaeology Project. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "KEMPTON, MD". www.coalcampusa.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Long Dark Shadow of Coal: Acid Mine Drainage in Kempton". www.frostburg.edu. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
39°12′24″N 79°29′07″W / 39.20667°N 79.48528°W
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| This United States ghost town-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |