Wilkeson Coke Ovens
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Coke Ovens | |
 Wilkeson Coke Ovens | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Wilkeson, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°06′09″N 122°02′21″W / 47.10250°N 122.03917°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1885 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001976[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 10, 1974 |
The Wilkeson Coke Ovens are from the early industrial period in Washington. The ovens are a result of the growth of the railroad in Puget Sound. Washington's coal industry was an enterprise with much promise but has never grown. It has remains a subdued element in the history of the Puget Sound Region. The Pierce County beehive coke ovens, of which those at Wilkeson were the most numerous and active, were the sole supply of coke in the coastal area. The coke ovens were added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 10, 1974.[2]
The beehive-shaped brick ovens are approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) high and 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter, covered with 6 inches (150 mm) of cement with a small hole on top. A protective 10 feet (3.0 m) high sandstone wall that faced the ovens was removed in the late 1940s, resulting in some erosion of the earth covering the ovens. Only 30 of the original 160 ovens remain.[2]
