Private Thomas Hudson disappeared during the Civil War. His mother set out to find out what happened to her son.
Coal Region mother sought help from Clara Barton after the Civil War
A solemn tribute – Visiting Port Carbon’s Civil War memorials
In May 2019, we traveled to Port Carbon to see two Civil War monuments dedicated to local residents.
“Wait! Watch! Pray!” – The Cuban Missile Crisis
How did one small Coal Region community - Pine Grove - react to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962?
A Pottsville editor’s letter to Abraham Lincoln in support of the Emancipation Proclamation
Editor Benjamin Bannan vehemently supported the end of slavery in the summer of 1862.
Attack on the wife of a Union soldier launched brawl on streets of Pottsville in 1864
After a landlord threw out the family of a Union soldier, the women of Pottsville rose up in anger to attack him.
Incredible photographs document the Maple Hill mine near Shenandoah in 1938
As we've previously documented on the blog, photographer Sheldon Dick came to the Coal Region in 1938 to photograph the people and places that made up the cultural landscape in this struggling industrial area. Dick centered his efforts for the Farm Security Administration project around the Schuylkill County community of Shenandoah. Read our story about … Continue reading Incredible photographs document the Maple Hill mine near Shenandoah in 1938
May Day 1916 – When anthracite mineworkers earned the 8 hour workday
On May 1, 1916, miners in the Coal Region earned the 8 hour workday, successfully ending decades of advocacy and protest.
When Schuylkill County’s veterans came marching home | June 1865
In 1865, Union soldiers began their triumphant return to Schuylkill County. Their future, however, was uncertain.
Video: The Schuylkill Mall – Gone but not forgotten
In 2018, the Schuylkill Mall came crashing down. A YouTube documentary looks at the mall's history.
Violent assault on miners in Schuylkill County in 1865 linked to Lincoln assassination
Three miners in Lorberry were assaulted in a bar after expressing sorrow at Lincoln's assassination.