The hamlet quickly lost interest in the course of the 19th century, as mining operations moved further and further south of the coalfield.

Despite this, certain company buildings such as the infirmary, stable and château de la Houillère continued to operate until the mines closed in 1958.

[2] The hamlet was built on the Haute-Saône plateau in the sub-Vosgian depression,[3] on the southern slopes of the Vosges mountains.

This shaft also experienced two blasts of firedamp, including the first in the mining basin on April 10, 1824, which killed twenty people and injured sixteen others.

[p 7] After the closure of the Saint-Louis shaft, its various buildings were demolished, except for one, which was converted into a casino, multi-purpose hall and bar-tabac.

[a 1] The hamlet quickly lost its industrial appeal in the 19th century, as mining operations moved to the center and then south of the coalfield.

However, company buildings such as the infirmary, the stable and the Château de la Houillère remained in use until the end of mining.

[a 1] In the 1950s, when the outcrops were once again mined, a number of construction sites were opened near the hamlet, including the Datout gallery and two pumping stations.

[p 8] After the mines closed in 1958, the casino and part of the infirmary were demolished, and the Château de la Houillère was abandoned.

[a 1] The hamlet of La Houillère was highly industrialized between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries, having been created from scratch in the middle of a forest to facilitate coal mining.

The Henri IV well, with its less imposing infrastructure, was mainly used for dewatering and aerating the Saint-Louis works, using pumps driven by oxen.

[a 6] To the south of the hamlet, the company-owned railway station was used to switch coal trains between the various shafts and the line from Paris-Est to Mulhouse-Ville.

The hamlet of La Houillère comprises dozens of different types of housing, built between 1760 and 1850 by the Ronchamp coal-mining company in a haphazard fashion to meet labor needs, with no urban planning.

The Plateforme mining estate, comprising eight houses, was built in 1854 opposite the Saint-Louis shaft, then converted into a casino.

[p 7] The company also built warehouses and an infirmary-hospital reserved for employees,[p 6] housed in a tall building with care and rest rooms, as well as accommodation for the nurse who had to provide food and guard duty.

[11] To meet hygiene needs, clean water was pumped from a stream to a hilltop reservoir, which in turn supplied the hamlet's fire hydrants.