In 1869, mineworkers gathered in Hazleton, PA and put their grievances in writing - condemning company stores, withheld wages, and employer control over daily life. Their resolutions, printed by a labor newspaper in Philly, reveal how tightly coal companies gripped both work and survival. Read the full story.
Discover how child workers in Harwood, Pennsylvania formed their own union in 1902, challenging exploitative conditions and uniting for fair treatment. This rare glimpse, documented in McClure’s Magazine, reveals the power of young activism during the Coal Strike. Read the full story.
In 1940, two experts stood atop a 25-year-old culm bank near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, discussing how to bring forests back to a landscape ravaged by mining. This striking photograph documents an era as reclamation efforts began in anthracite country. Read the full story.
Step back to October 1962, as Luzerne County residents shared their thoughts during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the world on the brink of nuclear war, locals voiced their support, fears, and hopes as President Kennedy confronted the Soviet threat. Explore their fascinating insights from this pivotal moment in Cold War history. Read the full story.
Warrant Officer Anthony Joseph Vroblesky of Hazleton, Pennsylvania fell in the first wave during the 1944 invasion of Saipan.
A women reporter documents the lives and struggles of working class women on the outskirts of Hazleton in 1900.
Not everyone in Hazleton, Pennsylvania marked Decoration Day (Memorial Day) with reverence and solemnity. The holiday, designed to honor the sacrifices of Civil War veterans who perished during the conflict, had been regularly celebrated in Pennsylvania since 1868. On Decoration Day 1889, some in the Luzerne County city "imbibed too freely" and ended up in … Continue reading “Decoration Day Drunks” – Hazleton residents who imbibed too freely on the holiday to honor Civil War veterans
A powerfully simple advertisement ran in the Hazleton Standard-Speaker on May 9, 1945 to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany.
A Coal and Iron Police agent arrested a Hazleton resident under murky circumstances in September 1872
In 1944, a clothing drive held in Hazleton gathered clothes to help war refugees in Italy.