Black History Month | African American history in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region

Celebrate Black History Month with stories of African American pioneers in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region—from Civil War bravery to crucial roles in 20th-century progress. Discover heroes like Nicholas Biddle and Charles H. King, Jr., and learn how they shaped our communities. Join us in honoring this remarkable legacy. Read the full story.

Pennsylvania coal miners explode a mine beneath Confederate trenches at Petersburg, Virginia | July 30, 1864

The infamous Battle of the Crater in 1864 began when a mine beneath Confederate earthworks detonated.

Pottsville soldier died of wounds received at the Battle of the Crater | 1864

John Cole was mortally wounded on July 30, 1864 in the fight initiated by his fellow residents of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.