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.
Francis Reilly, 25, died after being struck in the head while working in the Bear Valley Shaft at the Williamstown Colliery in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania in 1889. Read the full story.
On December 9, 1873, the Williamstown Tunnel in northern Dauphin County was completed as tunneling teams from both sides of Big Lick Mountain finally met. This engineering feat, begun in 1870, opened new coal reserves for the Summit Branch Railroad Company and transformed the Williamstown Colliery into one of the most productive anthracite mines in the region. Learn how this pivotal moment in Pennsylvania’s coal mining history unfolded. Read the full story.
The accidental explosion in Bear Valley, in Schuylkill County, could be heard as far away as Harrisburg.