In the late 1920s, coal companies promised modernization. Instead, centralized breakers closed collieries and hollowed out towns like Mahanoy City and Shamokin. Jobs vanished and communities unraveled. In my latest article, I trace that collapse and ask what it warns us about warehouses, automation, and data centers today. Read the Full Story.
In 1855 Pottsville, a smallpox scare sparked a fight over school policy, public safety, and personal freedom that feels strikingly familiar. This new piece for Real Clear Pennsylvania follows those early vaccination battles—and why their echoes are so loud in our own time. Read the full story.
The Great Depression hit Pennsylvania’s Coal Region hard. Collieries shuttered, jobs vanished, and families scraped by with bootleg mining, relief drives, and New Deal work. In my latest RealClear Pennsylvania column, I trace the collapse from Black Tuesday to efforts in towns like Williamstown and Lykens to survive the depression—and what lingers today. Read the full story.
In 1855, Pottsville raised a monument to Henry Clay - the “Great Compromiser” whose vision for canals, rails, and industry helped unleash the Coal Region’s boom in the 19th century. I trace the statue's history and why Clay’s ideas appear in today’s fights over infrastructure, trade, and partisanship. Read the full story.