A young boy faced death in the mines of the Lykens Valley Coal Company in March 1859. And against all odds, he came out victorious.
“A frightful scene” – A Wiconisco boy’s narrow escape from death in a mine accident in 1859
A Williamstown coal miner demands steel from abandoned mines be recycled for Second World War
A miner from Williamstown, Pennsylvania recommends using scrap steel from the closed mines for the newly opened war effort.
“Very Profitable and Productive”- Developing Williams Valley’s Anthracite Mines During the Civil War
Industrialist Henry Thomas worked with infamous Pennsylvania politicians to develop the coal trade in Williams Valley during the Civil War.
“The Coal Trade At This Place Was Never Brisker Than At Present” – Williams Valley in 1865
The Upper Dauphin Register describes the booming coal business in Wiconisco Township and predicts a bright future for its "inexhaustible mines."
Massive explosion near Williamstown smashed buildings, jolted residents awake in November 1900
The accidental explosion in Bear Valley, in Schuylkill County, could be heard as far away as Harrisburg.
A coal town is born – Williamstown, Pennsylvania in 1864
As the Civil War raged, the village of Williamstown began growing on the slopes of Big Lick Mountain in upper Dauphin County.
