In June 1867, a thunderstorm passed through Wiconisco, Pennsylvania and electrocuted miners deep within one of the town's coal mines.
“A vivid flash of light” – An 1867 lightning strike electrocuted Wiconisco miners 1,000 feet below ground
“Revolutionary Disloyalty” – A coal miners’ rebellion in Schuylkill County during the Civil War
In October 1862, Irish miners in Pennsylvania staged an armed revolt against the government. Their actions foreshadowed even bloodier events.
“I propose the following improvements” – Opening the Williamstown Tunnel
In a report written in April 1857, Joseph Ostermann details his work in opening the Williamstown Tunnel in Upper Dauphin County.
“A frightful scene” – A Wiconisco boy’s narrow escape from death in a mine accident in 1859
A young boy faced death in the mines of the Lykens Valley Coal Company in March 1859. And against all odds, he came out victorious.
“Very Profitable and Productive”- Developing Williams Valley’s Anthracite Mines During the Civil War
Industrialist Henry Thomas worked with infamous Pennsylvania politicians to develop the coal trade in Williams Valley during the Civil War.
Facing the dangers of early coal mining in Pennsylvania’s Williams Valley
Work in the anthracite mines of Eastern Pennsylvania ranks among the deadliest jobs in American history.
Massive explosion near Williamstown smashed buildings, jolted residents awake in November 1900
The accidental explosion in Bear Valley, in Schuylkill County, could be heard as far away as Harrisburg.
“This is a thriving little village” – Williamstown in 1871
A visitor from Pottsville describes a rapidly expanding community in upper Dauphin County in 1871.
Simon Cameron and the coal mines of Williams Valley – 1862
The disgraced Secretary of War often invested in industrial ventures in Pennsylvania.
