In May 1927, Henry Keiser described the Coal Region towns where he grew up as they looked in the 1850s.
Henry Keiser’s ‘reminisicences’ of Lykens and Wiconisco before the Civil War
Remembering the Stockton Mine Disaster – December 18, 1869
On December 18, 1869, six people were killed when a mine cave-in swallowed their homes in Luzerne County.
Schuylkill County’s first Thanksgiving – November 27, 1845
A new tradition was born when Schuylkill County celebrated its first Thanksgiving in November 1845.
U.S. Navy admiral: anthracite coal won the Civil War
In 1906, Admiral Robley D. Evans declared anthracite coal a vital strategic resource and used the Civil War as an example.
Photographs: A colliery in Schuylkill County
Coal Region photographer A.M. Allen captured images of a colliery near Mahanoy City in the years after the Civil War.
“An enduring monument” – A trip inside Williamstown’s opera house and public hall
A newspaper clipping from 1872 takes us into a long-demolished building at the heart of Williamstown, PA.
Christmas in a Coal Region ‘patch town’
A writer from Kalmia Colliery in Schuylkill County details Christmas celebrations in a newspaper dispatch from 1877.
“Assaults upon the senses” – The sights and sounds of the Coal Region in the 19th century
A visit to the Coal Region in the 19th century could be an overwhelming and memorable experience.
“They died for you and me” – Captain John T. Boyle’s 1879 Memorial Day Poem
The veteran of the 96th Pennsylvania read his poem at Memorial Day festivities in Harrisburg on May 29, 1879.
“A Merry Christmas” – A Christmas editorial by the Harrisburg Telegraph from 1864
The Harrisburg Telegraph wished its readers a "Merry Christmas" while the country prepared for its fourth Christmas at war.
