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. Writing this book, i wanted to know more about him and the life he lived, and the coal mining community that exited then. The anthracite fields stretch for nearly 500 square miles across portions of northeastern pennsylvania, while the bituminous fields underlie most of the western. Discover your family history and start your family tree. The pennsylvania coal company was chartered in 1838 and organized in 1915 in scranton to mine anthracite coal. Lu, soo chun, history department, indiana university of pennsylvania grade level. I was referred this book by a friend that knew i had family from scranton pa and the surrounding area. The account book is arranged chronologically by date of entry. Pa state archives mg282 scope and content note pa coal. The reader experiences what the mystery of coal mining. A walk through the rise and fall of anthracite might phmc. The companys historical photograph collection covering its operations in the. If you dont know history it is as if you were born yesterday. The studa mine was operated by the washington county coal co.
Mining in pennsylvania was a well regulated industry after the avondale mine. Coke ovens steel historical marker explore pa history mining anthracite explore pa history remembering the pride and pain of pa. After the boom, the industry began a steady decline that continues to the present day. 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. Coal mines a shenandoah veteran points to the many who died young. The typical miner and his family lived in a one or twostory frame house, often owned by the mining company. These 15 rare photos show pennsylvanias coal mining history like never before. Consequently, bituminous coal production in western pennsylvania grew. The struggles of new immigrants for unionization,1890s1930s. Work, enterprise, and ethnic communities in the mine fields. Baker towers jennifer haigh january, 2005 bakerton is a community of company houses, church festivals, and firemens parades. Elsewhere in the world of coal mining its called a tipple.
Old forge mining history organization bituminous coal region. Pennsylvania coal culture resources coal culture projects. 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. Its neighborhoods include little italy, swedetown, and polish hill. Guide to the consolidation coal company records, 18541971 ais.
Books related to the history of the anthracite and bituminous industry in the keystone state. These mining reports document the productivity and efforts of hardworking pennsylvania miners past and present. Coal mining began in pennsylvania in the mid1700s, fueled by the colonial iron industry. Part 1 of another time another world examines the history of the bituminous coal mining industry. 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.
The earliest known mention of coal in north america is of that on cape breton island, canada, in 1672. The coal company towns of southwestern pennsylvania. Several violent incidences in the history of the u. By 1828, railroad construction began and quickly spread throughout the. The lackawanna coal mine opened in 1860 and is set in the northern anthracite coal field, the largest of four coal fields in pennsylvania. Lackawanna coal mine tour scranton, lackawanna county. A map made by the explorer joliet in 1673 shows a coal location in illinois. Interiors and exteriors of mine and living quarters. 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. Field and survey books and underground field books give elevation and. Pennsylvaniamines coal miners, wilkes barre pennsylvania, luzerne county, local history. Bituminous coal was first mined in pennsylvania at coal hill mount washington. Early coal mining in the anthracite region is a journey into a world that was once very familiar. Although it was not the first company town built in the northeast, it quickly became the archetype of one.
In 1849, it merged with the washington coal company. A block of three lessons on mining in western pennsylvania that can be taught in a geography or history class. Miners went on strike and organized to gain better pay and working conditions and more power in the work place and patch town. 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. These 15 rare photos show pennsylvanias coal mining. Irwin marcus, history professor emeritus a reference guide to resources on coal mining and associated materials compiled by dr. Early coal mining in the anthracite region pa images of. See more ideas about coal mining, coal miners and pennsylvania history. Mining resources genealogical society of pennsylvania. Forms part of the frances benjamin johnston collection. 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. Nw slope of decatur mountain and south side of peru creek, about 3 miles ene of montezuma, in se4 sec.
Anthracite coal is a natural mineral with a high carbon and energy content that gives. A tribute to the coal miners of western pennsylvania. The most serious explosion in the history of the coke region occurred in the braznell mines a few days ago. 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. Coal mining numerous books, both fact and fiction, have been written about coal mining. Record group 43, department of environmental resources. The coal deposits are pennsylvanian in age 325 million years. The coal was extracted from drift mines in the pittsburgh coal seam, which outcrops. In 1888, the western pennsylvania bituminous coal regions inspection. The anthracite mining industry loomed over the region until its decline in the 1950s. Field and survey books and underground field books give elevation and other. History of anthracite coal mining in pennsylvania wikipedia.
Trump says new pennsylvania coal mine created 45,000 jobs. 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. In 1992 pennsylvania produced only 65 million tons of coal, but was still the nationwide leader in coke production. Its neighborhoods include little italy, swedetown, and. Idlewild author researching book on western pennsylvanias lost amusement parks. Virtual museum of coal mining in western pennsylvania by the 20th century society of western pennsylvania. Accidents pennsylvania mines and mining library guides at.
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. Although bartolettis book is about western pennsylvania coal towns, many in west. The following resources are related to pennsylvania coal culture, mining, transportation, and distribution of bituminous coal in western and. 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.
The anthracite mining region of northeastern pennsylvania extends over 485 square miles of nine counties. In the spirit of zinn, we offer a list of books about the pennsylvania anthracite coal region. Virtual museum of coal mining in western pennsylvania. Anthracite coal mining region of ne pennsylvania this research guide focuses on resources, images, and other resources specific to the anthracite mined area. Series ii contains minute books of the pittsburgh coal company for the period from.
Abebooks, an amazon company, offers millions of new, used, and outofprint books. Learning mining history at the lackawanna coal mine tour in. Jefferson college in southwestern pennsylvania and, from 195985. 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. 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. Early coal mining in the anthracite region pa images of america. 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. By 1828, railroad construction began and quickly spread throughout the geographic region. Bobby hughes, the leader of a local environmental group, has made it his mission to plug this part of minings legacy in the region. Breaker is a word peculiar to pennsylvania hard coal country. 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. Coal mining drainage prediction and pollution prevention in pa online book. To enter the virtual museum of coal mining in western. Philladelphia inquirer, august 7, 1994 anthracite coal mining circa 1920 youtube, march 27, 2015.
Another world examines the history of the bituminous coal mining industry. A vintage view of the studa tipple and part of the coal company houses. 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. The earliest note of coal in pennsylvania appears on a map made. Additional resources on pennsylvania coal mining include history lectures by dr. The final years of the northern anthracite industry and the effort to rebuild a regional economy.
This book set includes maps showing mined out areas and other land use for the anthracite region of pennsylvania. Coal in pennsylvania pennsylvania mines and mining. Pa mining history department of environmental protection. Windber was founded in 1897 by the berwindwhite coal mining company. 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. Royalty records are an account of types and amounts of coal mined from various locations, giving. Early history of coal mining the lehigh coal mine company first used coal commercially in 1792. 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.
I knew that there was a significant coal mining history there. Each town has an eatery that has been open as long as anyone can remember. How a photograph helped end child labor captured history. Roomandpillar mines have been active in pennsylvania s bituminous coalfields since the late1700s. Coal mining history, disasters, and tours in pennsylvania. New book examines pennsylvania coal and coke communities in. Virtual museum of coal mining and patch towns in western pa.
Western coal company, 18871944 25 volumes, and northwestern mining. By the end of the american civil war, the coal industry was booming in the u. The patches consisted of from a few dozen to a hundred frame houses, with a company store and perhaps a chapel. The pennsylvania coal company was chartered in 1838 and organized in 1915 in.
Dirty mines is a story about coal mining in pennsylvania. Pennsylvania s rich coal mining history dates back centuries to the late 1700s and boomed between 1870 and 1930. Coal region map poconos and endless mountains, pennsylvania. Miners from pennsylvania and other states formed the united mine workers of america umwa in 1890.
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. In the old days, coal was cleaned by young boys working over chutes in the breaker. Books and some articles relating to coal mining, especially historical. See more ideas about history, coal mining and pennsylvania history. Bituminous coal was first mined in pennsylvania at coal hill mount washington, just across the monongahela river from the city of pittsburgh. Success and prosperity, however, were not shared by all in the anthracite region. 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. Miners and managers in the american coal industry university press of kentucky, 1985, conflict in the coal industry to the 1980s. Windber was found in 1897 by the berwindwhite coal company. 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 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. By the civil war era, coal was king in the united states. Easton, pa canal history and technology press, 1998. We live on top of high carbon, low ash anthracite coalone of the richest deposits in the world.
May 05, 2020 produced only this year, this publication contained some details about accidents that occurred in pa coal mines in 1970 and 1971. Gsp newsletter gsp digital newsletters pennsylvania genealogical magazine gsp books. For mining royalties must be made to glut the coal barons spoils. 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. Additional resources on pennsylvania coal mining include history lectures by. Abandoned village the history of yellow dog, pennsylvania duration. Its a great read, i grew up in northeastern pa, my grandfather was a coal miner.
1270 505 1198 1305 1640 1604 1478 914 528 768 955 267 145 1019 812 1590 482 238 821 329 102 675 1491 1589 1628 1494 655 264 1533 85 749 1319 341 210 28 438 869 1236 698 631