These remarkable sketches show life in the Coal Region during the middle part of the 19th century, a crucial time in the area's history.
Sketches of the Coal Region from 1877

These remarkable sketches show life in the Coal Region during the middle part of the 19th century, a crucial time in the area's history.
This is a piece continued from last week. You can read Part 1 of our brief series on the remembrances of Robert Weir from 1914 HERE. After describing his arrival in the Coal Region in 1852, Robert Weir turned to discussing his work in Schuylkill County as a hoisting engineer in various collieries in the … Continue reading A Scottish immigrant’s remarkable working history in 1850s Schuylkill County (Part 2)
An 84-year-old sat down with a Pottsville Republican reporter in October 1914 for a discussion about what it was like to live and work in Schuylkill County in the mid-19th century. Robert Weir came to the Coal Region from Scotland in 1852 and found work in the coal mines in the vicinity of Branchdale, Forestville, and Heckscherville. … Continue reading “My brains and my wits” – A Scottish immigrant recalls his arrival in Schuylkill County in 1852
A New York Times reporter's observations about the Schuylkill County mining village of Heckscherville in 1863.
Author Mark Bulik eloquently describes the labor wars that consumed Schuylkill County in the 1870s.