General Coal Company

The General Coal Company was incorporated in Delaware on November 21, 1918. The charter was purchased by the Wentz interests in 1923 for the purpose of forming a single sales company for the output of their anthracite and bituminous coal mines.

Most large bituminous coal companies had separate sales subsidiaries or affiliates, which gave them more control over the marketing of their product. They also served as sales agents for the smaller companies who could not afford to maintain wide sales networks.

The Wentz Company (Pa.) had been incorporated to act as a sales agent for the Wentz anthracite companies and the small bituminous companies in 1919, while the Stonega Coke & Coal Company maintained its own sales department. Both functions were assumed by the General Coal Company, and the Wentz Company became a holding company owning all the stock of the General Coal Company. The Wentz Company was dissolved in 1949.

In 1954 General acquired all the stock of the Eastern Coal & Coke Company, a Philadelphia-based independent sales company handling the output of several West Virginia mines. Eastern was merged into General Coal in 1955. However, a new Eastern Coal & Coke Company was incorporated early in 1956 to retain the trade name.

In 1966, General Coal completed a large transloading facility near Appalachia, Va., where the coal from many area mines could be cleaned, blended, and loaded into unit coal trains.

The Westmoreland Coal Company acquired the coal interests of the Sprague family of Massachusetts in 1968. Sprague's sales operation, focused on the export market, was transferred to a new Westmoreland subsidiary, Sprague Coal International, Inc., while domestic sales were assumed by General Coal. On October 31, 1969, Westmoreland purchasesd the entire capital stock of the General Coal Company. Sprague Coal International was merged into General as a division in 1973.

From the description of Records, 1918-1982. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122547448