In 1862, controversial politician and former War Secretary Simon Cameron turned his attention to a major coal project in northern Dauphin County. Using his political clout, he briefly joined the Summit Branch Railroad Company’s board, helping broker a lucrative sale that shaped this anthracite-rich region’s future. Read the full story.
Discover a rare photograph capturing locomotive “George P. Upton” hauling anthracite along the Lykens Valley Railroad. Explore Bear Gap’s bustling mines, the route to Millersburg, and how Lykens Valley coal powered East Coast cities. Read the full story.
By the Civil War’s end, the Summit Branch Railroad Company built these simple miners’ houses, transforming remote forest land into a bustling coal town called Williamstown. At its peak, thousands relied on the Williamstown Colliery for work. A few of these early homes still stand, silent witnesses to the region’s industrial heritage. Read the full story.
Today, it doesn’t look like much. A forked path in the woods on State Game Lands in northern Dauphin County. Not much else. We are looking west, the trail on the left headed toward the village of Wiconisco and the right headed one mile to the long forgotten Big Lick Colliery. Behind us, the trail … Continue reading A walk to the long abandoned rail junction on Big Lick Mountain | Dauphin County, PA