In April 1862, Salmon P. Chase boarded a special train to tour the coal mines of Wiconisco Township with the recently disgraced Simon Cameron. Washington took notice. Within a year, the mines they visited together would be at the center of a corruption scandal involving Cameron and Henry Thomas. Read the full story.
Discover the tragic 1858 incident where toxic gases from a burning coal mine claimed the lives of two mining officials in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Explore this early example of mine fires in the anthracite coal fields, highlighting the dangers miners faced and the environmental challenges of the era. Read the full story.
Industrialist Henry Thomas worked with infamous Pennsylvania politicians to develop the coal trade in Williams Valley during the Civil War.
The disgraced Secretary of War often invested in industrial ventures in Pennsylvania.