Discover how child workers in Harwood, Pennsylvania formed their own union in 1902, challenging exploitative conditions and uniting for fair treatment. This rare glimpse, documented in McClure’s Magazine, reveals the power of young activism during the Coal Strike. Read the full story.
During the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, a Wilkes-Barre letter writer condemned corporate greed and the brutal suppression of striking workers, calling for solidarity among laborers. Published on August 1, 1877, the plea coincided with a deadly clash in Scranton, where militia fired on strikers, foreshadowing decades of labor struggles in the Coal Region. Read the full story and letter.
Meet a young mineworker who joined striking miners in the 1900 Coal Strike, stopping operations and rallying adults to his cause. Discover how these determined youth shaped a defining moment in Pennsylvania’s anthracite history. Read the full story.
In a vivid 1871 illustration, striking workers and families jeer non-union miners walking through the crowded streets of Mahanoy City. Explore the early days of labor organization in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region and the conflicts that shaped coal country’s future. Read the full story.
In September 1900, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones rallied women in McAdoo, Pennsylvania, to join a march supporting striking miners. Her stirring speech and fearless leadership convinced workers at nearby patch towns to lay down their tools in solidarity. Read the full story.
Step back into the tense streets of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, during the 1900 Coal Strike with this gripping illustration from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Violent clashes erupted between striking mineworkers, non-union laborers, and law enforcement, leaving one man dead and many wounded. Discover how this pivotal moment played out against the backdrop of one of the Coal Region's lesser-known but important historical events. Read the full story.
A reporter in Hazleton interviewed a working class woman near the site of the Lattimer Massacre in 1897.
A women reporter documents the lives and struggles of working class women on the outskirts of Hazleton in 1900.
This dispatch from the 1902 Coal Strike eloquently describes the battle lines as the strike entered its pivotal fifth month.
Irvin Schwartz looked forward to 1944 as being the year that he hoped would see the end of World War II.