Hocking Valley Coal Company Town Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Jackson Drive and Arbor Drive, north of Athens, Ohio, hold the last intact part of a coal company town built between 1900 and 1902 by the Hocking Valley Coal Company. It housed workers at Eclipse Mine #4, which closed in 1948. The 3.4-acre district has fifteen buildings: twelve one-story bungalows, a shotgun house, a garage and the two-story company store at the foot of the street beside the railroad. Five of the houses were moved in from other parts of the town to fill gaps. All are wood-frame buildings with narrow horizontal siding and slate gable roofs. The store once also served as the railroad depot and held a paymaster's office wing, since removed. The district was recognized as a rare survivor among only three company towns left in the Little Cities of Black Diamonds coal region of Athens, Hocking and Perry counties. Its repeated house designs, shared setbacks and single ownership since the mine era keep the character of a company-controlled mining community.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1900-1948 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Other/bungalow, shotgun house types |
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Acreage | 3.4 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Hocking Valley Coal Company Town Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.