Film from the early 20th century shows collieries above Tower City, Pennsylvania in full operation.
Video shows Brookside Colliery at work in early 20th century
“Assaults upon the senses” – The sights and sounds of the Coal Region in the 19th century
A visit to the Coal Region in the 19th century could be an overwhelming and memorable experience.
“Children of the mine” – The Coal Region’s breaker boys at work
"Children of the mine are they, born in the shadow of the culm heaps with the roar of the breakers ever in their ears, with mines beneath their feet."
A New York Times correspondent’s 1874 visit to Wiconisco Township
A dispatch to the New York Times from August 1874 details life and work in the thriving Dauphin County mining community.
“Big Lick” – Photographs from the 1860s show a Pennsylvania coal mine with an odd name
The images reveal pictures of industry growing on the side of Big Lick Mountain in Upper Dauphin County after the Civil War.
After the First World War, miners in Williams Valley faced an uncertain future
A newspaper correspondent details life in Lykens and Wiconisco in the months after the end of the Great War.
“Lykens Valley and the Coal Region” – Journalist Predicts Bright Future For Northern Dauphin County in 1833
"None can tell what a busy scene will be presented near these mines."
“A vivid flash of light” – An 1867 lightning strike electrocuted Wiconisco miners 1,000 feet below ground
In June 1867, a thunderstorm passed through Wiconisco, Pennsylvania and electrocuted miners deep within one of the town's coal mines.
“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.
