A 1982 PBS documentary reveals how a routine trash-burning ignited an unstoppable mine fire beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania. Witness the fierce debates over the town’s future, the heartache of evacuations, and the haunting remnants that remain. Read the full story.
In 1940, two experts stood atop a 25-year-old culm bank near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, discussing how to bring forests back to a landscape ravaged by mining. This striking photograph documents an era as reclamation efforts began in anthracite country. Read the full story.
Join me, Fin Dwyer, and Damian Shiels on the “Transatlantic” podcast for a deep dive into how 19th-century Irish newcomers shaped coal mining communities in eastern Pennsylvania. From labor battles to cultural legacies, discover their enduring impact on the region’s history. Listen to the full story.
Explore Lewis Hine’s 1911 photograph of breaker boys in Pittston, Pennsylvania, capturing the harsh realities of child labor in the coal mines. This image, part of Hine’s work for the National Child Labor Committee, highlights the young workers’ lives and the efforts to reform labor practices. Read the Full Story.
"Anthracite rallies" encouraged miners to produce more coal to help the American war effort in 1942.
In November 1943, as World War II intensified, coal mines in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania were asked to remain open on Thanksgiving to meet the critical coal demands of the war effort. Despite the holiday, miners worked as a patriotic duty to keep the country powered and the effort to defeat fascism abroad moving forward. Read the full story.
An aerial survey of Pennsylvania by airplane in 1938 shows us the mining operation just a few years before it closed forever.
Three mineworkers were killed in their makeshift coal mine when the roof caved in during a 1934 mine accident.
A German immigrant, mineworker, and inventor unveiled a mechanized coal separator in 1913.
Neil Gallagher lost his leg in 1904 to a mining accident. Years later a photographer documented his story.