A bleak winter street in Lattimer, Pennsylvania hides a violent truth. This 1898 illustration captures a Coal Region patch town just months after immigrant mineworkers were killed there for demanding fair treatment. Read the Full Story.
On the eve of the 1864 election, thousands jammed Pittston, PA for a Union rally - bands, parades, a cannon, and a “perfect jam” on the streets. Cheers for Lincoln, a speaker's biting wit, and street violence with pistols and brick-bats flying. Read the full story.
On Election Night 1864, politics turned deadly in Tremont, PA. After Schuylkill County voters re-elected Congressman Myer Strouse, a band of Irish mineworkers—calling themselves the “Bloody 69th”—paraded through town. Hours later, 25-year-old George W. Thompson was beaten to death. No one was ever tried. This is the Coal Region’s volatile Civil War era—press bias, ethnic tension, and justice denied—told through one forgotten murder. Read the full story.
An illustration shows Pennsylvania mineworkers receiving their pay at a company store. Read the full story. The company store system kept workers and their families attached to the colliery and was often exploited to keep them trapped in a form of exploitation.
In the turbulent year of 1864, Gilliard Dock, a mine superintendent in rural Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, expressed deep discomfort with his surroundings and growing fear of the Irish mineworkers he encountered. Dock’s journal entries reveal the tensions between mine management and labor, which were fueled by anti-Irish sentiment and fears of violence. His unease reflected broader concerns over labor unrest in the anthracite coal fields during the Civil War, where violence against management became increasingly common. Explore Dock's personal reflections and the often violent labor environment of the Coal Region during the Civil War. 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.
On August 8, 1863, Brigadier General William Whipple was nearly gunned down on the outskirts of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Peaceful St. Patrick's Day celebrations turned violent in Carbondale in March 1845.
In September 1862, Irish immigrants living near Scranton rose up to resist efforts to enroll local men for the draft and service in the Civil War.
An 1873 letter in the Boston Globe exhibits many signs of a Molly Maguire conspiracy theory in the Coal Region.