“In 1905 a group of ‘Fort Branch Capitalists’ sank a coal mine shaft at the south edge of town. This operation was to become the largest employer of labor within the immediate area. The Jackson Family, Mr. William Jackson and his sons, Ross, Russell, William and Clarence together with others, purchased the mining rights in 1907 and successfully mined a good grade of bituminous for nearly thirty years, employing during peak years more than 150 men. No. 6 vein, at a depth of 265 feet was mined from 1905 to 1912 and vein No. 5 at a depth of 400 feet was mined thereafter. Vein No. 5 was a seam of coal five to six feet thick and contained only a thin sulphur streak. The capacity of the mine was 1200 tons daily and this was used locally and shipped to the Indianapolis and Chicago markets.”
[Information and photo taken directly from “The Fort On A Branch” by John V. DeLong, Jr, page 10.]