Editing Numa, Iowa (section)

==History==
[[Image:CentervilleMines.png|thumb|300px|Map of the Numa area from 1908, showing the railroads and shipping coal mines (in red) of the region. Numa is in the lower left corner. Smaller mines that did not ship by rail are not shown.]]
Numa was laid out in 1871.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_O5kUAAAAYAAJ | title=The History of Appanoose County, Iowa | publisher=Western Historical Company | date=1878 | accessdate=28 November 2013 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_O5kUAAAAYAAJ/page/n423 456]}}</ref>

In 1907, fire destroyed the surface equipment of the Numa Block mine, then the most productive mine in the county. The Numa Block shaft was {{convert|150|ft|m}} deep, giving access to a {{convert|30|in|mm|adj=on}} coal seam. The Numa Block Coal Company also owned mines in [[Seymour, Iowa|Seymour]], (about {{convert|8|mi|km}} to the west).<ref>Henry Hinds, The Coal Deposits of Iowa, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zPbUAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA280 Annual Report, 1908], Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, pages 260, 280.</ref>  In 1912, Local 875 of the [[United Mine Workers]], based in Numa, had 392 members.<ref>Tally Sheet, [https://books.google.com/books?id=cfAUAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA1007 Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Convention of the United Mine Workers of America] Jan. 16 – Feb. 2, 1912, Indianapolis; Volume 2, page 182A.</ref>

The original Numa Block mine was closed in 1915, after having undermined {{convert|240|acre|km2}}.  In 1911, the Numa Block Coal Company started a new mine, about a mile east of Numa. When fully developed, this mine employed 155 men, hoisting 300 tons of coal daily to ship 175 carloads of coal monthly.  A new [[company town]], Martinstown, was platted around this mine in 1913. The approximately 40 houses in Martinstown were frequently known as Shantytown. The mine closed in 1937, after undermining {{convert|96|acre|m2}}. Aside from the blackened remains of the Martinstown slag pile, little remains of this mine today.<ref>Bill Heusinkveld, "The Numa Coal Co. in Martinstown, [http://www.dailyiowegian.com/archivesearch/local_story_292101022.html The Daily Iowegian], Oct. 19, 2006.</ref> In 1914, the Numa Block Coal Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state.<ref>Frederick E. Saward, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NO8oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA65 The Coal Trade, 1915], page 65.</ref>