The Coal Region has shaped American history.
Discover the events, disasters, trials, conflicts, and movements that shaped the history of Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal fields.
In the fall of 1862, Irish mineworkers in Schuylkill County launched an armed uprising in opposition to the Union war effort and the draft.
In September 1869, one of the deadliest mining disasters in Pennsylvania took place at the Avondale Colliery in Luzerne County.
In the late 1870s, numerous “Molly Maguires” were tried and executed in the Coal Region in an anti-Irish, anti-labor effort by coal and railroad industrialists.
One of the deadliest labor massacres in American history took place near Hazleton, PA in September 1897.
In the summer of 1902, the United Mine Workers of America claimed a major victory for organized labor in the anthracite fields.
On March 1, 1977, a flood of water deluged through the Kocher Coal Company’s Porter Tunnel mine, leaving 9 men dead.
Major Historic Events in the Coal Region
The Civil War era played a major role in the growth and development of the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania.
As the United States battled fascism abroad, the Coal Region of Pennsylvania made crucial contributions.
In 1962, one of the most infamous events in Pennsylvania began when a coal vein beneath Centralia took light and continues to burn.
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