Clay mining was a major industry in West Virginia for over 140 years. Clay was used to make bricks, tiles, and pottery, and many counties had large operations. Hancock County had the best clay and became the brick and tile capital of the U.S. starting in the 1830s, and was home to one of the nation's largest potteries, Homer Laughlin China, in the 1900s.

At first, clay was mined by hand. By the early 1900s, machines and trains made the process faster. After World War I, demand dropped, and clay mining eventually stopped, even though plenty of clay remained underground.