People often ask me how I became interested in the history of Pennsylvania’s Coal Region. The answer is simple: it runs in my blood.

My great-grandfather, George Barkos (circled in the photograph), worked in the bootleg and independent mines of Williams Valley during the 1940s.

But his connection to the region’s history didn’t stop there. For the rest of his life, he collected photographs, documents, and stories about the mining heritage of Dauphin County and the surrounding coal fields.

Though our lives briefly overlapped – I was born in 1993, and he passed away in 1998 – we shared a deep passion for the history and culture of Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal fields.

Back in 2019, I was given a book of his historical research, which included this incredible 1940 photograph. It was taken at a small independent mine on the White’s Vein of Big Lick Mountain in northern Dauphin County, where he worked at an independent mine alongside the Bowman brothers.

While my great-grandfather eventually left mining and served in World War II, his love for Coal Region history never faded. He grew up in Williamstown, PA in the same house that I grew up in and the family ties run deep.

Seeing the 1940 photograph and reading his research has deepened my connection to my family’s coal mining heritage. It reminds me that our past is often a living story, passed down through generations.

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