Coal oil was first produced here in 1851. A plant built in 1857 was reputedly the first of its kind in the world. The mine was known for extensive veins of cannel coal. Coal loaded here was exported to England by way of New Orleans for gas manufacture. The operation was English-owned, with the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, as an investor. A disastrous fire, the discovery of petroleum, and the Civil War caused operations to cease.