Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine No. 6
Also known as: Poston 6 Mine
Why it's listed
Near East Millfield in Athens County, Ohio, the remains of the Poston No. 6 mine mark a once-large coal operation built in 1910 or 1911 for Clinton L. Poston and later part of the Sunday Creek Coal Company. Surviving features include a 150-foot brick smoke stack, a brick hoist house, a timber-framed tipple, a water tank and the ruins of a shower room and hospital. The main shaft is capped with concrete, and the mine stopped production in the 1940s. The mine was described as the largest and most fully equipped in the Hocking Valley in its day. It was the site of Ohio's worst mine disaster, when an explosion on November 5, 1930 killed 82 men, including company officials on an inspection tour. The property was listed as a representative example of the region's coal boom, with one of the few tipples of that era left, and for its link to the history of coal mining and the United Mine Workers in the valley.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the mine as representative of the coal boom of the 1920s and 30s in the Hocking Valley and as holding one of the few remaining tipples of that era in the region. It is also the site of the November 5, 1930 explosion that killed 82 men, the largest mine disaster in Ohio. The Hocking Valley was also where the United Mine Workers of America was formed.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002005, listed May 23, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of East Millfield, East Millfield |
|---|---|
| County | Athens County |
| Listed | May 23, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002005 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1910-1911) |
| Architect / builder | Built for Clint Poston |
| Architectural style | Hoist house described as common bond brick industrial building with Italianate stylization |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Economics, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mine shut down in the 1940s; main shaft capped with concrete; several buildings are ruins or no longer standing, and the hospital has lost its roof. |
| Acreage | 20.8 |
| Coordinates | 39.43247, -82.07567 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002005.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.