Nuttallburg was a coal-mining town built by mine owner John Nuttall after he arrived in 1870, found coal, opened two mines, and developed the town to serve the mines and his workers as the C&O Railway planned its route through New River Gorge. Between 1870 and 1873, Nuttall bought land, developed the mines, and built Nuttallburg, and after the railway was finished in 1873 he shipped his first coal, becoming the second operator to ship coal from New River Gorge. Nuttallburg prospered from 1873 to 1897, and after John Nuttall died in 1897 ownership passed to his heirs, with the Nuttall family overseeing operations until 1920. From 1920 to 1928, the Fordson Coal Company, owned by Henry Ford, leased and operated the mine, modernized it, and dramatically increased production. From 1928 to 1953, the Maryland New River Mining Company operated the mine and renamed it Dubree No. 4. In 1954, the Margie Coal Company acquired the mine but quickly sold it to the Garnet Coal Company, which operated it for four years before closing it permanently in 1958. The mine operated for 85 years, features changed over time, and many major surviving structures date from Henry Ford's 1920s era. In 1998, the Nuttall estate transferred ownership of Nuttallburg lands to the National Park Service, and in 2005 Nuttallburg was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.