Photograph shows the fueling of a US Navy ironclad during the Civil War

Posted on by Jake Wynn
USS Canonicus fueling with anthracite during the Civil War

In this 1864 photo, the USS Canonicus ironclad refuels with anthracite coal, the almost-smokeless fuel from Pennsylvania’s Coal Region that powered the Union blockade during the Civil War. Discover how this vital resource helped shape naval strategy and fueled dramatic changes across Northeastern Pennsylvania. Read the full story.

Coal Region connections to the famed USS Monitor at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA

Posted on by Jake Wynn
Jake Wynn Public Historian Civil War Pennsylvania Coal Region at the USS Monitor

I recently stopped at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA to see the USS Monitor—and found Coal Region threads. The ironclad burned Northeastern Pennsylvania anthracite, carried 80 tons to sea, and divers even recovered century-old coal from her wreck. Read the full story.