Coke is made from coal by heating it in special ovens to remove gases and liquids, leaving mostly carbon. It’s used in blast furnaces to help turn iron ore into pig iron, both as fuel and as part of the chemical process. While charcoal was once used, coke became the main fuel by the late 1800s.

West Virginia first made coke in 1843, but it didn’t become a major industry until the late 1880s. Coke was made in “beehive ovens” near coal mines. These ovens released a lot of smoke, and after three days, the coke was cooled with water. Production peaked in 1910. Newer more-efficient ovens started replacing the old beehive ovens, although some remained in operation until 1981.