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Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis

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Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis
Born(1815-08-24)August 24, 1815
DiedNovember 10, 1860(1860-11-10) (aged 45)
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipU.S.A.
Alma materKenyon College
OccupationMine operator
Years active1844–1860
Known forKirk Lewis Incline
SpouseMary Orth
ChildrenDr. William David Lewis
Lucretia Orth Lewis LeMoyne
Parents
  • Joel Lewis, M.D. (father)
  • Mary Ann Kirkpatrick (mother)

Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis was a pioneer coal miner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His namesake was his grandfather, Abraham Kirkpatrick, a colleague of General John Neville. He graduated from Kenyon College, Ohio, in 1835. Although he studied medicine and law, he made his living in the coal industry. With William Philpot and John M.Snowden Jr., he was the first to establish a market and furnish a regular supply of Pittsburgh coal to New Orleans, transporting the coal on flatboats.[1]

Coal Mines

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His Coal Ridge Mine on Sawmill Run, opened in 1857,[2] was originally served by a horse-drawn tramway, later converted to steam power as the Little Saw Mill Run Railroad.

Kirk Lewis Incline

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Kirk Lewis Coal Incline
Overview
HeadquartersPittsburgh, PA
LocalePittsburgh, PA
Dates of operation1854–

The Kirk Lewis incline was used to transport coal from "Coal Hill", now known as Mt. Washington, to the Monongahela River. It has been described as the first incline in Pittsburgh. It was probably built by George W. Roberts Sr., the superintendent of his mines, who was known to have built many coal inclines in the area, including those at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Bigham, Kirk Q. (1911). Major Abraham Kirkpatrick and his descendents. Pittsburgh, PA. pp. 38–41.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Pennsylvania, Geological Survey of (1884). Coal Ridge Mine (Report of progress ..., Part 1 (Google eBook) ed.). p. 188.
  3. ^ Cushing, Thomas (1889). A genealogical and biographical history of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 9780806306865.