10 miners were killed when toxic gas from a locomotive filled Williamstown Tunnel on May 25, 1904
The Williamstown Colliery Disaster of 1904
Video: A short history of Williamstown Tunnel in northern Dauphin County
Our first Facebook Live video gives a short history of Williamstown Tunnel at the southwestern border of the Coal Region
“A first-class breaker” – Photographs of Williamstown Colliery in the 1860s
Isaac Kunkel photographed the Williamstown Colliery in 1860s and documented the birth of a new town.
Video shows Brookside Colliery at work in early 20th century
Film from the early 20th century shows collieries above Tower City, Pennsylvania in full operation.
Coal Region baseball star seen in 1906 photograph
Jake Daubert started his professional baseball career in Lykens, PA in 1906. He quickly rose to the big leagues.
“An enduring monument” – A trip inside Williamstown’s opera house and public hall
A newspaper clipping from 1872 takes us into a long-demolished building at the heart of Williamstown, PA.
The 1918 influenza pandemic tore apart this small Pennsylvania family
Influenza swept through the Hensel family of Sheridan, Pennsylvania in October 1918, leaving three dead and lives changed forever.
“Wild with joy” – Celebrations marked end of World War I in Williams Valley
In the early hours of November 11, 1918, news of the armistice ending World War I swept through Williams Valley, Pennsylvania. Communities like Tower City and Lykens erupted in spontaneous celebrations, with bells, whistles, and parades marking the end of the Great War. Residents rejoiced in a hard-won victory, though the seeds of another conflict had already been planted. Read the full story.
The Curious Case of Dr. Charles H. Miller
Dr. Charles H. Miller grew up in Lykenstown, PA in the decade before the Civil War.
An early historian’s description of Lykens and Wiconisco at conclusion of Civil War
Richard Nolen helped build the mining communities of northern Dauphin County. In 1865, he described how much they had changed.