This Harper's Weekly illustration from 1869 shows crowds following the remains of an Avondale victim to his grave. One hundred and ten men and boys died in Pennsylvania's deadliest mine disaster — and the Coal Region came out in force to mourn every one of them, a scene common to the anthracite coal fields since the beginning mining.
“The frenzy and what came of it.” After the fires burned out and the strikes were crushed, this 1877 illustration captured what remained. A worker sits in the wreckage, a reminder of the violence and destruction following America’s first great labor uprising. Read the Full Story.
In the winter of 1874, as the nation slid into what became known as the Long Depression, Harper’s Weekly published a sketch titled Hard Coal for the Poor. It showed families huddled in the snow outside a coal dealer, forced to buy fuel by the bucket or quart because they couldn’t afford a stockpile. Coal prices soared each winter, leaving the poorest to pay the most for the barest survival—choosing between food and warmth. It’s a reminder of the harsh realities faced in America’s industrial cities during one of the country’s darkest economic downturns. Read the full story.
Winslow Homer’s 1860 Harper’s Weekly illustration reveals a stark Thanksgiving class divide - opulent elites relaxing contrasted with coal miners and their families toiling through the holiday. Discover this powerful social critique and how it relates to Pennsylvania’s anthracite fields on the eve of the Civil War. Read the full story.
This rare Harper’s Weekly illustration shows a mule team hauling loaded coal cars in Pennsylvania’s anthracite tunnels. Discover the vital role these animals played, the miles they trekked underground, and the grit of the miners who relied on them. Read the full story.
These young Pennsylvania mineworkers had a crucial job to fulfill in the underground labyrinths of the anthracite collieries.
This dispatch from the 1902 Coal Strike eloquently describes the battle lines as the strike entered its pivotal fifth month.