In December 1873, a 4,000 foot tunnel was completed through Big Lick Mountain in Dauphin County. Williamstown Tunnel opened up Bear Valley for profitable coal mining.
The completion of Williamstown Tunnel – 1873
A child’s eye view – my 9/11 story
As an eight-year-old, watching the attacks of September 11, 2001 changed who I am and the path I took in life.
“Only Hoover is Big Enough” – A Lykens newspaper’s editorial on the eve of the 1932 election
The Lykens Standard voiced support for President Herbert Hoover and called the campaign against him illegitimate.
An 1835 visit to the mines at Wiconisco Township
In 1834 and 1835, a scientist named Constantine Samuel Rafinesque traveled widely through Pennsylvania in order to document the geology and biology of the Keystone State. In the spring of 1835, the Turkish-born polymath traveled north from Harrisburg aboard canal boats alongside the Susquehanna River to Millersburg. In his book, A Life of Travels, Rafinesque details … Continue reading An 1835 visit to the mines at Wiconisco Township
An important moment in Coal Region history took place in a Philadelphia coffee house in 1831
In 1831, a land sale took place at a coffee house in Philadelphia that launched coal mining operations in northern Dauphin County.
“In Scarlet Fever’s Grip” – This 1910 epidemic crippled Lykens and closed schools and businesses
In 1910, an epidemic of scarlet fever spun out of control in the Coal Region community of Lykens and left a trail of bodies in its wake.
“Quite a surprise” – Tower City mine workers respond to beginning of 1902 strike
A look at the perspectives of the mine workers of far western Schuylkill County as the 1902 coal strike began.
“The Impending Strike” – Lykens on the eve of the 1902 Coal Strike
On the eve of the 1902 Coal Strike, the communities of Lykens and Wiconisco were ripped by tension as residents awaited news.
A Wynning History summer project will explore 1902 coal strike in Williams Valley
An introduction to a Wynning History series about the 1902 Coal Strike in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania.
A day in the Williams Valley Baseball League – 1906
Missing baseball? Take a trip back to the insane 1906 season in Pennsylvania's Williams Valley League.
Wynning History 