“I had three miles to walk every morning to get to my work.” In the fall of 1831, coal mining in northern Dauphin County began with a single stone mason and a long walk into the wilderness at Bear Gap. What started as one small job would grow into an industry that employed thousands of people. Read the Full Story.
This 1862 illustration captures the coal mines at Bear Gap during the Civil War, showing how industry, railroads, and labor shaped northern Dauphin County at a pivotal moment. For me, it brings a familiar landscape back to life as it once was. Read the full story.
This 1860s photograph captures mining operations at Bear Gap, where men, mules, and machines pulled anthracite from deep underground. It’ offers a look at how coal shaped daily life in Wiconisco Township during the Civil War era. Read the full story.
From Bear Gap to the Mahanoy Valley, Peter W. Sheafer's mining surveys shaped where mines were sunk and towns were built. Read the Full Story.
A photograph by Isaac Kunkel shows the mining community of Lykens, Pennsylvania in the years after the Civil War. The image is among the earliest taken of this northern Dauphin County community. Read the full story.
A Glimpse of 1900s Lykens, PA This historic photo captures horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles sharing bustling Market Street. Towering coal culm banks loom in the distance, reflecting an era of booming industry on the edge of Pennsylvania’s Coal Region. Read the full story.
Discover a rare photograph capturing locomotive “George P. Upton” hauling anthracite along the Lykens Valley Railroad. Explore Bear Gap’s bustling mines, the route to Millersburg, and how Lykens Valley coal powered East Coast cities. Read the full story.
An 1860s photograph shows the inclined plane at Wiconsico that carried loaded coal cars down to the main line of the Lykens Valley Railroad.
"None can tell what a busy scene will be presented near these mines."
A photograph taken shortly after the Civil War shows mining operations in Wiconisco Township in Dauphin County in the 1860s.