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

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.
On March 1, 1977, water poured into the Porter Tunnel mine in western Schuylkill County. Emergency crews raced to the scene.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and comedian Jim Gaffigan explored Gaffigan's family connection to the Coal Region on "Finding Your Roots"
The game ended in a scoreless tie. But that doesn't mean the circumstances surrounding this game aren't fascinating.
An introduction to a Wynning History series about the 1902 Coal Strike in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania.
Missing baseball? Take a trip back to the insane 1906 season in Pennsylvania's Williams Valley League.
Budd served during the Civil War and later became a prominent citizen in Dauphin County's largest mining community.
"We are men and all we ask is to be treated as such," wrote the miners in a public letter published during their 1886 strike.
In July 1906, engineers from rival coal mines played for bragging rights in northern Dauphin County.
David Watkeys was pulled unconscious from the Williamstown Tunnel on May 25, 1904. He survived to tell his story.