By the end of the american civil war, the coal industry was booming in the u. Field and survey books and underground field books give elevation and other. Baker towers jennifer haigh january, 2005 bakerton is a community of company houses, church festivals, and firemens parades. Coal in pennsylvania pennsylvania mines and mining. Virtual museum of coal mining in western pennsylvania. Pa mining history department of environmental protection. Early coal mining in the anthracite region is a journey into a world that was once very familiar. Gsp newsletter gsp digital newsletters pennsylvania genealogical magazine gsp books. Miners from pennsylvania and other states formed the united mine workers of america umwa in 1890. May 05, 2020 mining bituminous stories from pa history index to the coal mining districts of the pennsylvania anthracite supports search by county name only, from the 1880s forward. Philladelphia inquirer, august 7, 1994 anthracite coal mining circa 1920 youtube, march 27, 2015. Although it was not the first company town built in the northeast, it quickly became the archetype of one. Additional resources on pennsylvania coal mining include history lectures by. Miners went on strike and organized to gain better pay and working conditions and more power in the work place and patch town.
This website is dedicated to the more than 51,000 pennsylvania miners who died working these mines and quarries, to those that survived, and to those that continue this dangerous work today. This enormous resource contains thousands of detailed coal mine maps that can be overlaid on a variety of base maps for the entire state, including terrain, topographic and road maps, and aerial. A walk through the rise and fall of anthracite might phmc. Early coal mining in the anthracite region pa images of. The following resources are related to pennsylvania coal culture, mining, transportation, and distribution of bituminous coal in western and. How a photograph helped end child labor captured history. The studa mine was operated by the washington county coal co. Coal region pennsylvanias coal region has a rich heritage of coal mining and is, in fact, home to the largest deposits of anthracite coal in the americas. Irwin marcus, history professor emeritus a reference guide to resources on coal mining and associated materials compiled by dr. Success and prosperity, however, were not shared by all in the anthracite region. Several violent incidences in the history of the u. Coal mines a shenandoah veteran points to the many who died young. Nov 24, 20 the site has a searchable database to find coal miner memorials by name, coal mines by name or coal companies by name, in part of the bituminous mining region.
Accidents pennsylvania mines and mining library guides at. Its neighborhoods include little italy, swedetown, and. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. A vintage view of the studa tipple and part of the coal company houses. The earliest known mention of coal in north america is of that on cape breton island, canada, in 1672. The patches consisted of from a few dozen to a hundred frame houses, with a company store and perhaps a chapel. Although bartolettis book is about western pennsylvania coal towns, many in west. Other previous mines listed above, congress, rothschild minerou tunnel, are separate mines on the north side of peru creek. Virtual museum of coal mining in western pennsylvania by the 20th century society of western pennsylvania. The reader experiences what the mystery of coal mining.
Pennsylvania s rich coal mining history dates back centuries to the late 1700s and boomed between 1870 and 1930. Bobby hughes, the leader of a local environmental group, has made it his mission to plug this part of mining s legacy in the region. Roomandpillar mines have been active in pennsylvania s bituminous coalfields since the late1700s. The anthracite mining industry loomed over the region until its decline in the 1950s. Old forge mining history organization bituminous coal region.
Because of an 1869 disaster at its avondale mine in which 110 miners died, laws were passed providing for a second opening to mines and better ventilation. The coal company towns of southwestern pennsylvania. Windber was founded in 1897 by the berwindwhite coal mining company. Learning mining history at the lackawanna coal mine tour in. Books related to the history of the anthracite and bituminous industry in the keystone state.
Interiors and exteriors of mine and living quarters. Pennsylvania coal culture resources coal culture projects. The new and often roughhewn coal communities that sprouted up during the anthracite boom became rigidly defined places, where elite and often arrogant coal operators built magnificent victorian mansions while their immigrant laborers lived in overcrowded. Forms part of the frances benjamin johnston collection. Mining in pennsylvania was a well regulated industry after the avondale mine. In 1888, the western pennsylvania bituminous coal regions inspection. Guide to the consolidation coal company records, 18541971 ais.
Early history of coal mining the lehigh coal mine company first used coal commercially in 1792. Pennsylvaniamines coal miners, wilkes barre pennsylvania, luzerne county, local history. See more ideas about history, coal mining and pennsylvania history. Breaker is a word peculiar to pennsylvania hard coal country.
May 05, 2020 produced only this year, this publication contained some details about accidents that occurred in pa coal mines in 1970 and 1971. These mining reports document the productivity and efforts of hardworking pennsylvania miners past and present. The early history of heilwood a western pennsylvania coal. In the spirit of zinn, we offer a list of books about the pennsylvania anthracite coal region. Bituminous soft coal was first mined in pennsylvania about 1760 at coal hill presentday mount washington, just across the monongahela river from the city of pittsburgh. Mining resources genealogical society of pennsylvania. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, underground coal mining was at its zenith and the work of miners was more grueling and dangerous than it is today. Its a great read, i grew up in northeastern pa, my grandfather was a coal miner. Pennsylvania mining families is a firstrate work of anthropology, a fascinating history and a significant contribution to the shelf on labor, particularly as it applies to coal operations. Pa state archives mg282 scope and content note pa coal. Coal was first discovered there in the late 18th century and commercial coal mining began in the early 19th century with the formation of the lehigh coal and navigation company. Another world examines the history of the bituminous coal mining industry.
Consequently, bituminous coal production in western pennsylvania grew. Anthracite coal mining region of ne pennsylvania this research guide focuses on resources, images, and other resources specific to the anthracite mined area. Coal mining and coal towns in western pennsylvania by dr. If you dont know history it is as if you were born yesterday. The most serious explosion in the history of the coke region occurred in the braznell mines a few days ago. Books and some articles relating to coal mining, especially historical. A tribute to the coal miners of western pennsylvania. Series ii contains minute books of the pittsburgh coal company for the period from.
The account book is arranged chronologically by date of entry. Heilwood has a rich historical past, some of which still lies in the foundations and ruins of numerous coal mining facilities silent, unknown symbols of the past. Early coal mining in the anthracite region pa images of america. Each town has an eatery that has been open as long as anyone can remember. In 1992 pennsylvania produced only 65 million tons of coal, but was still the nationwide leader in coke production.
Virtual museum of coal mining and patch towns in western pa. Writing this book, i wanted to know more about him and the life he lived, and the coal mining community that exited then. Royalty records are an account of types and amounts of coal mined from various locations, giving. Dirty mines is a story about coal mining in pennsylvania. Jefferson college in southwestern pennsylvania and, from 195985. Bobby hughes, the leader of a local environmental group, has made it his mission to plug this part of minings legacy in the region. Abebooks, an amazon company, offers millions of new, used, and outofprint books. Nov 17, 2019 given pennsylvanias rich mining history, i jumped at the chance to check out the lackawanna coal mine on the outskirts of scranton.
To rediscover this past, i call upon residents, former residents, and any interested people who may have stories, memories, or photographs of the community to share them with the. The pennsylvania coal company was chartered in 1838 and organized in 1915 in. Its neighborhoods include little italy, swedetown, and polish hill. The coal deposits are pennsylvanian in age 325 million years. I was referred this book by a friend that knew i had family from scranton pa and the surrounding area. These 15 rare photos show pennsylvanias coal mining history like never before. A block of three lessons on mining in western pennsylvania that can be taught in a geography or history class. Coal mining history, disasters, and tours in pennsylvania. Discover your family history and start your family tree. The coal was extracted from drift mines in the pittsburgh coal seam, which outcrops. The anthracite fields stretch for nearly 500 square miles across portions of northeastern pennsylvania, while the bituminous fields underlie most of the western.
In the old days, coal was cleaned by young boys working over chutes in the breaker. Record group 43, department of environmental resources. Part 1 of another time another world examines the history of the bituminous coal mining industry. The lackawanna coal mine opened in 1860 and is set in the northern anthracite coal field, the largest of four coal fields in pennsylvania. A map made by the explorer joliet in 1673 shows a coal location in illinois. To enter the virtual museum of coal mining in western. History of anthracite coal mining in pennsylvania wikipedia. Additional resources on pennsylvania coal mining include history lectures by dr. The struggles of new immigrants for unionization,1890s1930s. See more ideas about coal mining, coal miners and pennsylvania history.
These 15 rare photos show pennsylvanias coal mining. The earliest note of coal in pennsylvania appears on a map made. Field and survey books and underground field books give elevation and. In 1769, two brothers daniel and obadiah gore, opened a mine near plymouth in order to get the coal they needed to burn in their blacksmith forges. Mining history as far back as 1755, anthracite was being used to a limited extent as a fuel in homes, but it was not until the period from 1825 to 1835 that anthracite mining became an economically important industry. Coal region map poconos and endless mountains, pennsylvania. In 1849, it merged with the washington coal company. Gray mountain hardcover by john grisham goodreads author shelved 53 times as coalmining. Abandoned village the history of yellow dog, pennsylvania duration. Dec 18, 2015 in more modern times, the surface mining holes have become popular swimming spots in many coal region towns, such as the mile in trevorton, pa or the caves in shamokin, pa. We live on top of high carbon, low ash anthracite coalone of the richest deposits in the world. Anthracite coal is a natural mineral with a high carbon and energy content that gives.
Coal mining numerous books, both fact and fiction, have been written about coal mining. The final years of the northern anthracite industry and the effort to rebuild a regional economy. Work, enterprise, and ethnic communities in the mine fields. The anthracite mining region of northeastern pennsylvania extends over 485 square miles of nine counties. Easton, pa canal history and technology press, 1998. Once a region full of mining towns, the area has since become a tourist destination. Nw slope of decatur mountain and south side of peru creek, about 3 miles ene of montezuma, in se4 sec. Bituminous coal was first mined in pennsylvania at coal hill mount washington, just across the monongahela river from the city of pittsburgh. Lackawanna coal mine tour scranton, lackawanna county. Miners and managers in the american coal industry university press of kentucky, 1985, conflict in the coal industry to the 1980s. Although many miners lived in coal towns such as saint clair, others lived in the patches, or small villages surrounding town. Fire damp wrecks the braznell mines near brownsville coal miners naked lamp ignited gas and a terrific explosion followed difficult task of the rescuers great mass of wreckage. By 1828, railroad construction began and quickly spread throughout the. For mining royalties must be made to glut the coal barons spoils.
Idlewild author researching book on western pennsylvanias lost amusement parks. Pennsylvania mining resources genealogical society of pennsyvlania links to various resources related to the historical aspects of mining in pa. Strip mines and fires, most notably in centralia, remain visible. The pennsylvania coal company was chartered in 1838 and organized in 1915 in scranton to mine anthracite coal. Windber was found in 1897 by the berwindwhite coal company. Anthracite enters the american home, the pennsylvania magazine of history and biography, vol.
Coal mining began in pennsylvania in the mid1700s, fueled by the colonial iron industry. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything, and you have no way of checking up on it. Lu, soo chun, history department, indiana university of pennsylvania grade level. Trump says new pennsylvania coal mine created 45,000 jobs. This is done in a large structure called a breaker. By the civil war era, coal was king in the united states. The company was founded after german immigrant philip ginder discovered beds of the anthracite stone coal near summit hill in 1791 while out hunting carr. Coke ovens steel historical marker explore pa history mining anthracite explore pa history remembering the pride and pain of pa. Bituminous coal was first mined in pennsylvania at coal hill mount washington.
After the boom, the industry began a steady decline that continues to the present day. The typical miner and his family lived in a one or twostory frame house, often owned by the mining company. By 1828, railroad construction began and quickly spread throughout the geographic region. Coal mining drainage prediction and pollution prevention in pa online book. As the coal passed beneath them the boys would pick out the rock and slate by hand. Western coal company, 18871944 25 volumes, and northwestern mining. The pennsylvania department of environmental protections office of active and abandoned mine operations has collaborated with pennsylvania state university to produce the pennsylvania mine map atlas. New book examines pennsylvania coal and coke communities in.
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