Mining in pennsylvania was a well regulated industry after the avondale mine disaster in 1869. After the boom, the industry began a steady decline that continues to the present day. Relationships mining conditions under the city of scranton, bulletin 25, ark. The lackawanna river valley was settled in the 1700s. The statistical and narrative reports document the productivity of collieries and the injuries and deaths of pennsylvania miners. Folding and faulting of the coal bearing formations made it necessary to use a variety of mining methods. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The knox mine disaster was a mining accident on january 22, 1959 at the river slope mine in jenkins township, pennsylvania the disaster occurred when workers were ordered to dig illegally under the susquehanna river without proper safety precautions, creating a hole in the riverbed which caused the river to flood into the many interconnected mine galleries in the. Collection guide summary abstract annual reports from 18702010 produced by the pennsylvania department of mines and related bureaus.
By 1888, seven major railroads and several smaller lines tapped the rich coal seams in the lackawanna and wyoming valleys. Anthracite or hard coal played a major role in the industrial revolution, and northeastern pennsylvania was among the greatest coal producers in the nation. By the civil war era, coal was king in the united states. These are small thin soft covered pamphlets on differing subjects related to coal mining. I was referred this book by a friend that knew i had family from scranton pa and the surrounding area. Historical marker commemorating the hanging of the molly maguires irish folk bands, molly maguires. Pennsylvania department of environmental protection, mining. For more than 100 years, immigrants flocked to lackawanna county because of its great need for mine workers, and scranton became known as the anthracite capital of the world. From the book portrait and biographical record of lackawanna county, pennsylvania, chapman publishing co. Learning mining history at the lackawanna coal mine tour.
With exceptional detail and a wonderful sense of time and place, when coal was queen captures the history and the stories of the queen city and its mining heritage. Pa state archives mg282 scope and content note pa coal. The reader experiences what the mystery of coal mining. Coal mining began in pennsylvania in the mid1700s, fueled by the colonial iron industry. Lackawanna coal mine tour scranton 2020 all you need. The 16th annual conference of the mining history association was held in the scranton, pennsylvania area, june 1620, 2005. Various series by acadia publishing chronicle the history of small towns and. 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. Pennsylvanias rich coal mining history dates back centuries to the late 1700s and boomed between 1870 and 1930. How a 1897 massacre of pennsylvania coal miners morphed from a galvanizing crisis to forgotten history the death of 19 immigrants may have unified the labor movement, but powerful interests left. Thomas one legacy of the great avondale mine disaster of september 6, 1869, considered by many to be the worst mining disaster of the 19th century, was that the accident caused the adoption of certain mine safety regulations in an attempt to protect the lives of miners. How a 1897 massacre of pennsylvania coal miners morphed. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required.
Lewis historical publishing company, 1914 scranton pa. The pennsylvania state archives hold numerous collections which pertain to persons either employed in or in some way associated with the anthracite hard coal and bituminous soft coal mining industries of the commonwealth. Mining resources genealogical society of pennsylvania. To say that life in a typical coal town for a mining family was dramatically different than. John stanky and the coal miners frogs in the beer pail benefit. Coal mining picturesscranton wilkes barre poconos pocono. In fact, between september 2014 and april 2016, the industry as a whole in the u. Ford motor company at one time wanted to bring an auto manfactuing plant to scranton, and was stopped by the local businesses who feared it would cut out their source of cheap labor. Coal in pennsylvania pennsylvania mines and mining.
Pennsylvania mines and mining penn state libraries index of annual reports on mining activities, 18701979 penn state. Dirty mines also addresses the rich history of this era. The anthracite mining region of northeastern pennsylvania extends over 485 square miles of nine counties. Anthracite coal mining region of northeastern pennsylvania. Writing this book, i wanted to know more about him and the life he lived, and the coal mining community that exited then. Details of mining accidents, fatal and nonfatal, can be found in the volumes of the commonwealth of pennsylvania mine inspector reports. Specimen sections of the principle seams of coal worked. Museum of anthracite mining, seventeenth and pine streets, ashland, pa 17921. The anthracite fields stretch for nearly 500 square miles across portions of northeastern pennsylvania. Anthracite coal mining history, archives, rare books, medieval manuscripts, history of the book, history of typography and penmanship, university history.
I knew that there was a significant coal mining history there. History of anthracite coal mining in pennsylvania wikipedia. Coal mining numerous books, both fact and fiction, have been written about coal mining. Given pennsylvania s rich mining history, i jumped at the chance to check out the lackawanna coal mine on the outskirts of scranton. Dirty mines is a story about coal mining in pennsylvania.
The pennsylvania coal company was chartered in 1838 and organized in 1915 in scranton to mine anthracite coal. Mining in the flatlying coal beds near scranton courtesy usbm. 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. Museum store pennsylvania anthracite heritage museum. A wonderful book for those who call olyphant home and for anyone who loves history. It was possibly first used in pennsylvania as a fuel in 1769, citation needed but its real history begins with a documented discovery near summit hill and the founding of the lehigh coal mine company in 1792 to sporadically send expeditions to the wilderness atop pisgah ridge to mine the deposits, mostly with notable lack of great success, over the next 22 years. Books, especially recent ones, may not be available online, but may be available for check out at many public libraries across pennsylvania. Its neighborhoods include little italy, swedetown, and polish hill.
Coal mining history, disasters, and tours in pennsylvania. Anthracite coal search, pennsylvania state university libraries catalog. Hardworking immigrants, iron rails, and anthracite coal from beneath the surface of the lush lackawanna river valley powered americas industrial revolution, and until world war ii, the city reigned as a cuttingedge boomtown. Hence the strike of 1902 it turned out to be the longest strike in the history of coal mining. The coal deposits are pennsylvanian in age 325 million years. The pennsylvania anthracite heritage museum and iron furnaces, administered by bode morin, are two of three sites that make up the anthracite museum complex, which also. Prior to its establishment as pennsylvanias 67th county, the state legislature passed an act of assembly on april 17, 1878 calling for a vote of. Roomandpillar mines have been active in pennsylvanias bituminous coalfields since the late1700s. Title coal breaker, anthracite coal mining, scranton, pa. 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 brief history of scranton, pennsylvania by cheryl a. History of scranton and its people, volume 1 history of scranton and its people, frederick lyman hitchcock. 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. T are 5 from various dates in the 1930s and 3 from the late 1920s. These 15 rare photos show pennsylvanias coal mining. Going underground in lansford pa, exploring coal mining ruins duration. A walk through the rise and fall of anthracite might. When the iron industry ran out of iron ore in the area the only resource scranton had was coal, and the robber borons exploited it to the hilt. Collections containing genealogical material are chiefly located at the anthracite heritage museum in scranton. Given pennsylvanias rich mining history, i jumped at the chance to check out the lackawanna coal mine on the outskirts of scranton. Many, many books exist that document aspects of the anthracite coal mining region of northeastern pennsylvania. Pennsylvania s rich coal mining history dates back centuries to the late 1700s and boomed between 1870 and 1930. Sure, we can and often do turn to books to develop a deeper understanding into a subject, like the rich coal mining history in pennsylvania. Womens suffrage convention, hotel casey, scranton, pennsylvania.
American mafia history website american mafia website scranton pittston bosses. March 20, 2017 by anthracite unite in books, history, lists 3. Scranton mining for sale antiquarian collectible books. It was the largest and longest labor action in the world up until that time and the most important strike in american history. This film of a scranton coal mine was shot on december 8, 1929 by george mann when barto and mann were playing at the capital theatre in scranton, pennsylvania. Books, especially recent ones, may not be available online, but may be. See more ideas about coal mining, appalachian mountains and coal miners. Take your family on a fascinating adventure through lackawanna coal mine in pennsylvania. Crosssection through anthracite beds in the southern field after whilden, 1915. Coal field reports from 2nd and other pennsylvania geological surveys. History of scranton, pennsylvania scranton is located in the heart of one of the great deposits of anthracite coal in the world, which provided the underpinnings for much of scrantons industrial growth until the middle of the 20th century.
This mafia family sprang up in the northeast pennsylvania coal mining communities of pittston, scranton and wilkesbarre. The diamond mine accident december 9, 1914 scranton, pennsylvania jeffrey l. Go down in history 300 feet beneath the surface of the earth in a once abandoned, but now restored hard coal mine. The intense heat of the steel mills and the clatter of coalfilled locomotives once filled the streets of scranton, pennsylvania. Baker towers jennifer haigh january, 2005 bakerton is a community of company houses, church festivals, and firemens parades. The american mafia scrantonpittston bosses mafia history. These mining reports document the productivity and efforts of hardworking pennsylvania miners past and present. Its a great read, i grew up in northeastern pa, my grandfather was a coal miner. A history of the pennsylvania coal region 20 by john r. See where and how men and boys worked to heat a nation and fuel the conversion of our nations economy from agriculture to industry. Coal pillars, timbers, and waste rock provided roof support.
Coal mines and mining pennsylvania pittsburgh substantial prosperity. Field and survey books and underground field books give elevation and other measurements for mines and breakers. The lackawanna historical society second floor coal mining. Pa mining history department of environmental protection. Located in the heart of anthracite country in scranton, pa, this organization tells the story of the people who came from europe to work in the anthracite mining and textiles. This is a family story about the last generation of scranton coal miners. Special collections librarian in charge of university archives nondigital, rare books and historical manuscript collections. Success and prosperity, however, were not shared by all in the anthracite region. Coal breaker, anthracite coal mining, scranton, pa. Bituminous coal was first mined in pennsylvania at coal hill mount washington, just across. The diamond mine accident, december 9, 1914, scranton.
1363 771 1177 361 1233 1397 383 1137 116 691 923 1183 1481 1404 137 111 188 688 740 1059 1067 63 1202 1180 71 394 762 129 1321 270 595 1353