These 15 Rare Photos Show Pennsylvania's Coal Mining History Like Never Before
By Beth Price-Williams|Published January 08, 2017
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
Pennsylvania’s rich coal mining history dates back centuries to the late 1700s and boomed between 1870 and 1930. After the boom, the industry began a steady decline that continues to the present day. In fact, between September 2014 and April 2016, the industry as a whole in the U.S. lost an estimated 191,000 jobs. Here are 15 rare coal mining photos from Pennsylvania that provide a glimpse into the coal mining industry’s vibrant past.
1. Children work in the coal mines, while being supervised by an adult with a stick, in Wilkes-Barre in 1906.
11. Coal miners and their families resided in this neighborhood housing project run by the Buckeye Coal Company, who owned the Nemacolin Mine, in 1946.
12. During some of their down time, coal miners with the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Company in Washington County hang out at the company's recreation area.
These 15 rare coal mining photos from Pennsylvania give us a look into what life was like for miners and their families in the early part of the 20th century. Click here to view a rare video from Pennsylvania in the 1940s.
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