Long before southern Iowa became known for its rolling farmland and small communities, coal mining helped shape the landscape around Albia. Today, several former mining towns have nearly disappeared, leaving behind historical records and stories of the people who once called them home.
Among those communities are Buxton, Consol, Bucknell and Wanlock, also known as Maple. Each played a role in Monroe County’s coal-mining history.
Buxton, located in northern Monroe County, was once a thriving mining community with thousands of residents. Established around the Consolidation Coal Company’s mining operations in the late 1890s, the town became especially notable for its large African American population and its relatively integrated community life during an era when racial segregation was widespread.
At its height, Buxton had businesses, schools, churches, a hotel and recreational facilities. Workers came from across the country seeking employment and opportunities in the coal industry.
However, changing coal markets, mine closures and declining employment gradually led residents to leave. The remaining mine closed in 1927, and much of the town eventually disappeared.
Another community, Wanlock, commonly called Maple, developed around a coal mine that supplied the Northwestern Railroad. According to Monroe County’s 1940 history, the community had approximately 500 residents, 103 houses, a store and a school.
In 1924, a dispute led the railroad to stop purchasing coal from the mine. Without its primary customer, the operation shut down, and the community quickly declined. Its houses were eventually dismantled and sold.
Consol and Bucknell were also associated with the county’s once-extensive mining industry. As mines closed or operations moved elsewhere, settlements that depended on coal employment lost residents and businesses.
Historical accounts indicate that Monroe County’s coal industry once produced millions of tons of coal annually, supporting thousands of workers and contributing significantly to the regional economy.
Today, these former communities serve as reminders of an important chapter in Iowa history. While some locations may retain traces of foundations, cemeteries or other remnants, much of the towns themselves has disappeared.
Although these places may inspire Halloween ghost-town stories, their documented histories reveal something equally compelling: communities built through hard work and opportunity that gradually vanished as the industry supporting them changed.
Sources: Monroe County History (1940), compiled by the Iowa Writers’ Program; Iowa PBS, “The Great Buxton”; Teaching Iowa History, “Buxton”; and National Register of Historic Places records for the Buxton Historic Townsite.
Historical reference: https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2531/great-buxton
