Wilburton, OK: Est. 312 million years ago!

My job seems to either run hot or cold, feast or famine. I'm either struggling to get everything done or there's nothing to do at all. On those dry days, when I'm left to my own machinations, I participate in that tried and true time-killer: web-surfing. With no real destination in mind, in a stream of consciousness kind of way, I ride the world wide web waves of information, looking for meaningless bits of trivia, mindless yet entertaining video clips and the like. I invariably find myself searching the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom - Wikipedia. That generally sets me off somewhere else and so forth.

Today was just such a day and here's one nugget I found in my meaderings that peaked my interest:

Iron Cup from Oklahoma Coal Mine, 312 million years old.

On November 27, 1948 the following statement was made by Frank J. Kenwood in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. "While I was working in the Municipal Electric Plant in Thomas, Oklahoma in 1912, I came upon a solid chunk of coal which was too large to use. I broke it with a sledge hammer. This iron pot fell from the center leaving the impression mould of the pot in the piece of coal. Jim Stall (an employee of the company) witnessed the breaking of the coal, and saw the pot fall out. I traced the source of the coal, and found that it came from the Wilburton, Oklahoma, Mines. According to Robert O. Fay of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the Wilburton mine coal is about 312 million years old. What advanced civilization or visitor was creating or using iron pots in our past more than 300 million years ago?

Has anyone heard of this before? I thought the only "mystery artifact" in Oklahoma was the Heavener Runestone - but looks like Wilburton has its own with this iron pot. It's news to me! 60 year old news, but news nonetheless!