Stephen Crane’s vivid McClure’s Magazine account plunges into a Scranton, PA anthracite mine, describing granite walls, roaring descent, and oppressive darkness. Experience his visceral portrayal of fear and wonder as the wooden elevator hurtles into the earth’s depths. A haunting glimpse into late-19th-century mining life. Read the full story.
Coal mining regions brim with folklore—especially ghosts in the mines. Drawing on newspaper accounts and tales elsewhere, I talk with Matt Maris of Local Historia about stories shaped by ever-present death and grief in Pennsylvania and beyond. Check Local Historia’s tours and programs. Read the full story and watch the video!
Folklorist George Korson roamed Pennsylvania’s Coal Region in the 1920s and 1930s, capturing stories born of mysterious knockings, spirits of miners killed in disasters, and minds disturbed after fatal accidents. From Avondale’s haunted chambers to a peddler’s wailing rock and the unrecovered dead of the Woodward Colliery - these tales reveal miners’ fears and folklore. Read the full story.
This rare Harper’s Weekly illustration shows a mule team hauling loaded coal cars in Pennsylvania’s anthracite tunnels. Discover the vital role these animals played, the miles they trekked underground, and the grit of the miners who relied on them. Read the full story.
Meet Joseph Puma, a young Sicilian immigrant caught in the harsh world of Pennsylvania coal mining in 1911. Captured by Lewis Hine’s lens, his story spans from the dark tunnels of Pittston to serving overseas during World War I. Read the full story.
In 1877, coal dealers ventured deep into Schuylkill County’s Kalmia Colliery to witness Pennsylvania’s booming anthracite industry up close. Experience the sights, sounds, and gritty realities that shaped the Coal Region. Read the full story.
John Hale’s firsthand account plunges you into 1860s Bellevue Colliery, where miners cut props by hand, hoisted cars with mules, and battled gas in dark chambers. Discover the grit and ingenuity that defined early anthracite mining in the vicinity of Scranton. Read the full story.
This stark photo from Northeastern Pennsylvania reveals the lasting impact of anthracite strip mining on the region’s terrain. Witness how centuries of digging for coal shaped an environment still recovering from the dramatic ups and downs of America’s Industrial Revolution. Read more of the story.
Llewelyn Evans emigrated from Wales to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1871. He began working in the anthracite industry at age 9 and served as a Pennsylvania mine inspector for 40 years before retiring in 1942. His poignant memories of child labor as a breaker boy highlight the harsh realities faced by children in that era. Read the full story.
An illustration shows Pennsylvania mineworkers receiving their pay at a company store. Read the full story. The company store system kept workers and their families attached to the colliery and was often exploited to keep them trapped in a form of exploitation.