The West Wood Colliery was located at the western end of Pottsville on the west branch of the Schuylkill River.
It was opened by a drift on the Black Mine (Peach Mountain) Vein by John Stanton in 1834.
In 1837, he sunk a slope on the tunnel vein to a depth of 207 feet and mined both the drift and slope until 1839 when J. G. Green became a partner and the colliery was operated by Stanton and Green to 1841.
In 1841, James Oliver succeeded Stanton and Green and made extensive improvements, sinking a new slope on the black mine vein and a coal shaft 150 ft. deep to the same vein. Oliver continued mining to 1844 when he was sold out by the sheriff.
M. G. and P. Heilener purchased the colliery at sheriff sale and operated it to 1847 when they were succeeded by the landowners, John and Thomas Wood who held the colliery only one year to 1848. During that year sunk a shaft 24 ft. to the water level in the tunnel vein.
Patrick Fogarty succeeded the Wood Brothers in 1848 and operated to 1850 when a partnership was formed and mining continued under the firm of Fogarty and Frega to 1853. They were succeeded by Richard Jones and Company who continued to its abandonment in 1857.
The slope on the black mine vein reached a depth of 720 ft. and operated on four levels. The black mine vein was irregular and faulty in places. The tunnel vein was not as large but more persistent in good coal. All the gangways were driven to their boundaries at the land lines by 1857.
The first record available of shipments was made in 1840 when 1443 tons were shipped. The shipment in 1850 had increased to 18,420 tons.
The total shipment from the West Wood Colliery was 237,800 tons of coal. Richard Jones & Company invested $25,000 in the colliery during 1853.