When the saw and grist mills were closing, coal mining soon became the community’s greatest industry.
 Many tons have been hauled and trucked from the area mines.

Oil production was thriving in Section 16 which was the section set aside for the support of schools.
Business is located in Section 16 Hollow       House is where Skipper’s Greenhouse

 Other Natural Resources

About a half mile above Petersburg, in the bottom of a little stream called Pipe’s Run, was an out-cropping of very white clay which people for miles around used for white-washing their log cabins. Across this run from the earliest schoolhouse was a cave under a large rock where bears and wolves once had their dens. It was a breath-taking thrill for boys to crawl into the cave. The little stream was named after Captain Pipe, a noted Indian chief.

Captain Pipe was thought to be quite peaceable but fond of liquor and when intoxicated was given to murdering. In 1811 he disappeared suddenly. Some years afterwards George Saltsgiver found an Indian skull and a gun barrel on the J. Dunlap farm not far from Pipe’s Run. Some human bones were also found there. Settlers generally supposed these to be the remains of Captain Pipe.

 When Union Township was first settled, the nearest neighbors were located at Wolf’s Tavern near the former Chestnut Grove schoolhouse which sat on Rt. 43 in Lee Township. Little traveling was done in the early days as there were few roads and only paths through the wilderness.  When the Norris’s lived on the J. T. Smeltz farm, Elsie (Fawcett) their daughter, having never seen her future home, went as a bride to her new home where Charles & Elizabeth Capper lived at 2229 Rebel Rd SW.

In early days the township abounded with bears, wolves, deer, an occasional panther and many of the smaller animals. The snake families were represented by copperheads, rattlers, black, blue racers and others. At one time rattlesnakes were so plentiful that every man was asked to kill 12-15 per day.             

Our Natural Resources Revisited

Coal leases that were secured in the 1950’s by Consolidated Coal were purchased by Rosebud Mining Co with the announced plan to “deep mine” over 10,000 acres in the township, east of St Rt 332 from Carrollton to Petersburg. A 42” seam of coal is available 400' - 500' feet deep with over 6,000 tons yield per acre. The extraction will take over 25 years.

In 2009 seismic tests were completed to determine the opportunity for oil/gas well production in the county. Numerous five year leases were obtained and on Feb 1, 2010 a gas well was started on the Stanley & Diane Miller farm (1225 Scio Rd SW). It was drilled to a reported depth of 9,000 ft and was put into gas production in July 2010. It has been reported that 16 additional sites will be developed in the county.