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We carved our present out of coal’s past.
Regardless of what the county and region thrive on now, or how we forge the future, Anthracite coal forever sits at the heart of how we became who we are. It fueled our rise from an agricultural Anyplace, USA, to a distinctive county that (for better and worse) often seems to make the national news more than any other neighbor.
In the scheme of things, King Coal’s reign lasted just long enough to build a sleepy county into an industrial heavyweight feeding a nation hungry for the new energy that spurred economic growth everywhere. It shredded our landscape, killed our fathers and children, and fashioned a new breed of often self-serving business barons. It left a legacy of culm banks and orange acid mine water we continue to combat, and the tragedy of black lung and other life-altering ailments lingering long after the cause vanished.
If your family lived here long enough, you have ancestors who worked in the coal mines, or who worked supporting the industry, or whose work was supported by it. If you’re newer to the area, you can’t drive more than a few miles without the history of coal touching the things you see. Colleges, hospitals, schools, churches, businesses, charities, monuments, labor unions and works of art formed around and because of mining communities and their needs.
January is Anthracite Mining Heritage Month. As always, a long list of organizations throughout several counties arranged a bountiful schedule of events commemorating the role of coal here. We couldn’t possibly fit everything into this space, though the complete list has been posted on our website timesleader.com. You can just search for “anthracite heritage,” or go to the link here.
While we’re nearly halfway through the month, the earliest events actually begin this weekend. Here is a small sampling of what’s going on in Luzerne County:
• Jan. 14, at the Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston, “An Evening of Anthracite Region Music,” 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Jan. 17, at the Earth Conservancy Building in Ashley, the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Earth Conservancy present “A History of Anthracite Region Breakers,” 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Jan. 19, the Nanticoke Historical Society presents “Mining Anthracite Coal, Reflections by Miners from Yesterday and Today” at the St. Faustina Cultural Center on West Church Street in Nanticoke, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Jan. 21, the Greater Hazleton Historical Society and Museum joins with the Pennsylvania Anthracite Society for Mining Engineers for the “125th Anniversary Commemoration of the Lattimer Massacre” at the Hazle Township Municipal Building on West 27th Street, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Jan. 22, three events marking the Knox Mine Disaster include a Memorial Mass at St John’s Catholic Church on Williams street in Pittston at 9 a.m., a public commemoration at the Historical Marker on Main St. in Pittston (in front of Baloga Funeral Home) at 11 a.m., and the annual walk from the marker to the disaster site from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (weather permitting).
There are many more worthwhile events on the list, from the Plymouth Historical Society, The Greater Pittston Historical Society, King’s College and others, as well as programming on WVIA TV. We heartily encourage everyone consider attending at least one or two.
Our region and our lives may no longer be built with Anthracite, but will always be built on it.
— Times Leader