An 1835 visit to the mines at Wiconisco Township

In 1834 and 1835, a scientist named Constantine Samuel Rafinesque traveled widely through Pennsylvania in order to document the geology and biology of the Keystone State. In the spring of 1835, the Turkish-born polymath traveled north from Harrisburg aboard canal boats alongside the Susquehanna River to Millersburg. In his book, A Life of Travels, Rafinesque details … Continue reading An 1835 visit to the mines at Wiconisco Township

An important moment in Coal Region history took place in a Philadelphia coffee house in 1831

In 1831, a land sale took place at a coffee house in Philadelphia that launched coal mining operations in northern Dauphin County.

“In Scarlet Fever’s Grip” – This 1910 epidemic crippled Lykens and closed schools and businesses

In 1910, an epidemic of scarlet fever spun out of control in the Coal Region community of Lykens and left a trail of bodies in its wake.

“The Impending Strike” – Lykens on the eve of the 1902 Coal Strike

On the eve of the 1902 Coal Strike, the communities of Lykens and Wiconisco were ripped by tension as residents awaited news.

A Wynning History summer project will explore 1902 coal strike in Williams Valley

An introduction to a Wynning History series about the 1902 Coal Strike in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania.

“No charge for medical service” – The US Army and Lykens officials covered medical costs in town’s 1918 emergency hospital

Medical care administered at the emergency hospital in Lykens during the 1918 influenza pandemic was free of charge.

A 1919 history of the Short Mountain Coal Company – Wiconisco Township

Founded in 1851, the Short Mountain Coal Company grew rapidly during the Civil War in association with the Pennsylvania Railroad.