Van Lear, Kentucky
| Van Lear, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 Van Lear, Kentucky
Van Lear, Kentucky
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| Coordinates: 37°46′16″N 82°45′29″W / 37.77111°N 82.75806°WCoordinates: 37°46′16″N 82°45′29″W / 37.77111°N 82.75806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Johnson |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,857 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 41265 |
| GNIS feature ID | 505958 |
Van Lear is an unincorporated community and coal town in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States.
Incorporated in 1912, the town was named for a director of Consolidation Coal Company (Consol), Van Lear Black. It owes its existence to the viable efforts of John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo. Mayo bought coal rights to land along Miller's Creek in Johnson County, which he later sold to Northern Coal and Coke, which in turn was later acquired by Consol.
Consol built five miles of railroad into the Johnson County property with money loaned by Van Lear Black's Fidelity Trust. Eventually five coal mines were opened and operated in Van Lear from 1910 through 1946. The vast coal deposits were mined from five underground mines around the clock. The miners included immigrant Irish, Italians and Slavs, as well as Appalachians and locals. The mines were integrated; both blacks and whites worked underground. During the boom years the population surpassed 4000.
In 1945 Consol merged with the Pittsburgh Coal Company, then divested itself of its Miller's Creek properties. The people who lived in company-owned housing were given first chance to purchase those homes and many did. However, most of the major buildings were torn down.
Currently, Van Lear is an unincorporated community. There are no deep mines operating in Van Lear proper, although some mines operate nearby. Most of the residents work in locations outside Van Lear, including the nearby cities of Paintsville, Prestonsburg, and Pikeville. Since the end of local mining, only a handful of businesses continue to operate in the Van Lear area, including a bookstore, Mine Number 5 Store, The East Kentucky Museum of Mysteries, and Icky's 1950's Snack Shop (located inside the Coal Miners' Museum).
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Wikipedia