In 1902, journalist Lincoln Steffens profiled John Mitchell, the quiet, disciplined leader of the United Mine Workers of America, during the Great Coal Strike. Mitchell rejected demagoguery, insisting labor’s power rested on contracts, restraint, and honor - an approach that reshaped union leadership in the Coal Region and beyond. Read the full story.
In August 1905, mineworkers in Wilkes-Barre took to the streets under the banner of the United Mine Workers of America as union leader John Mitchell came to town. This photograph captures their parade through the city’s east end, marching down Maxwell Street toward the Jersey Central tracks, a show of strength just a few years after the hard-fought 1902 Coal Strike. Read the full story.
In August 1963, dozens of residents from Scranton traveled to Washington, DC for the March for Jobs and Freedom, witnessing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech firsthand. Their reflections capture a powerful moment during the Civil Rights Movement that felt, as one attendee said, like “This is America.” Read the Full Story.
During the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, a Wilkes-Barre letter writer condemned corporate greed and the brutal suppression of striking workers, calling for solidarity among laborers. Published on August 1, 1877, the plea coincided with a deadly clash in Scranton, where militia fired on strikers, foreshadowing decades of labor struggles in the Coal Region. Read the full story and letter.
The first funerals following the East Brookside Disaster in 1913 marked a beginning of mourning rituals following Schuylkill County's deadliest mine disaster.
Three mineworkers were killed in their makeshift coal mine when the roof caved in during a 1934 mine accident.
Reporters from a Wilkes-Barre newspaper interviewed local residents about their opinions on Nixon's 1974 resignation.
Discover the story of the East Brookside Mine Disaster on August 2, 1913—the deadliest mining accident in Schuylkill County's history. Learn how a series of explosions at the East Brookside Colliery near Tower City, Pennsylvania, claimed 20 lives and impacted the entire Coal Region community. Explore the investigations that followed and the lasting effects on local mining practices. Read the full story.
In August 1974, NASCAR came to Pocono Raceway in Northeastern Pennsylvania for the first time.
John Cole was mortally wounded on July 30, 1864 in the fight initiated by his fellow residents of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.