Taken in 2002 from inside the ruined St. Nicholas Central Breaker, this photograph looks out over a patch town that once lived by the rhythm of anthracite coal production. Built in 1931 and demolished in 2018, the breaker’s rise and fall mirrors the Coal Region itself. Read the Full Story.
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.
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