"We are men and all we ask is to be treated as such," wrote the miners in a public letter published during their 1886 strike.
Grievances of Williamstown miners against the Pennsylvania Railroad Company | 1886
“Thoughts for Tomorrow” – Remembering the sacrifice of Schuylkill County’s Civil War soldiers
And a plea to consider what the Confederate battle flag meant to the local soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War.
Henry Keiser’s ‘reminisicences’ of Lykens and Wiconisco before the Civil War
In May 1927, Henry Keiser described the Coal Region towns where he grew up as they looked in the 1850s.
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 1845
On November 27, 1845, Pottsville, Pennsylvania observed its first official Thanksgiving, following a proclamation by Governor Francis Shunk. This New England tradition had slowly spread to other states, and by the 1840s, Pennsylvania embraced the holiday. Businesses closed, church services were well attended, and the quiet streets reflected a community in celebration. Explore how this first Thanksgiving in Schuylkill County set the stage for a tradition that would later be declared a national holiday during the Civil War. Read the full story.
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’
Discover the traditions of a Christmas in a 19th-century Schuylkill County patch town, where miners’ families in Kalmia, gathered around a simple Christmas tree in their schoolhouse. Through firsthand accounts, explore how Coal Region communities celebrated amidst coal dust and hard labor. Read the Full Story.
“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.