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Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis

Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis
Born (1815-08-24)August 24, 1815
Died November 10, 1860(1860-11-10) (aged 45)
Residence Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nationality U.S.A.
Other names Kirk Lewis
Citizenship U.S.A.
Alma mater Kenyon College
Occupation Mine operator
Years active 1844–1860
Known for Kirk Lewis Incline
Parent(s) Joel Lewis, M.D., Mary Ann Kirkpatrick
Kirk Lewis Coal Incline
Locale Pittsburgh, PA
Dates of operation 1854–
Headquarters Pittsburgh, PA

Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis was a pioneer coal miner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His namesake was his grandfather, Abraham Kirkpatrick, a colleague of General John Neville. He graduated from Kenyon College, Ohio, in 1835. Although he studied medicine and law, he made his living in the coal industry. With William Philpot and John M.Snowden, Jr., he was the first to establish a market and furnish a regular supply of Pittsburgh coal to New Orleans, transporting the coal on flatboats.

His Coal Ridge Mine on Sawmill Run, opened in 1857, was originally served by a horse-drawn tramway, later converted to steam power as the Little Saw Mill Run Railroad.

The Kirk Lewis incline was used to transport coal from "Coal Hill", now known as Mt. Washington, to the Monongahela River. It has been described as the first incline in Pittsburgh. It was probably built by George W. Roberts, Sr., the superintendent of his mines, who was known to have built many coal inclines in the area, including those at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.


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