“Great Titanic sinks with 1500 on board.” In the days after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, the news finally reached Pennsylvania's Coal Region in full force. This Scranton front page captures the moment when shock, scale, and tragedy came into focus for readers. Read the Story.
In May 1871, fire swept Pittston’s Knight Shaft. Eleven-year-old mule driver Martin Crahan turned back from safety to warn miners, was refused behind their barricade, and chose to die beside his teams. Nineteen others perished. A poem immortalized his courage in the face of a disaster similar to one that ravaged Avondale, PA two years earlier. Read the full story.
On October 8, 1871, Peshtigo, Wisconsin vanished in a wall of fire, leaving more than 1,200 dead. It remains the nation's deadliest wildfire. This podcast episode traces the disaster’s origins and its eerie legacy that lingers today. Listen to the latest episode of the Public History podcast.
In 1854, a festive cannon salute in Lykens, Pennsylvania turned tragic on the Fourth of July. One man was killed, another lost an arm, highlighting the hazards of 19th-century holiday revelry. Read the full story.
Discover the story of the East Brookside Mine Disaster on August 2, 1913—the deadliest mining accident in Schuylkill County's history. Learn how a series of explosions at the East Brookside Colliery near Tower City, Pennsylvania, claimed 20 lives and impacted the entire Coal Region community. Explore the investigations that followed and the lasting effects on local mining practices. Read the full story.
A correspondent of the Luzerne Union newspaper provides an account of a fatal train wreck in June 1863.
Discover the harrowing true stories of Schuylkill County natives who survived the devastating Johnstown Flood of 1889. This detailed historical account explores eyewitness experiences during Pennsylvania's deadliest disaster, revealing personal narratives of survival amid the catastrophic collapse of the South Fork Dam. Read the full story.
10 miners were killed when toxic gas from a locomotive filled Williamstown Tunnel on May 25, 1904
"The Avondale Mine Disaster" is a miner's ballad originally recorded by folklorist George Korson in 1946.
The Avondale Mine Disaster of September 6, 1869 killed 108 miners and 2 volunteer rescuers.