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Quitting Time: 1911
... of the day, just up from the shaft at the Pennsylvania Coal Company's South Pittston mine. Smallest boy, next to right hand end, is a ... by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 2:12pm -

December 1910 or January 1911. At the close of the day, just up from the shaft at the Pennsylvania Coal Company's South Pittston mine. Smallest boy, next to right hand end, is a nipper. On his right is Arthur, a driver. Joe on Arthur's right is a nipper. Frank, boy at left, is a nipper, works a mile underground from the shaft, which is 5000 feet down. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Perfection Kerosene: 1939
January 1939. "Abandoned store in which coal miner on relief lives. Zeigler, Illinois." Medium format negative by ... (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Mining, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2019 - 12:52pm -

January 1939. "Abandoned store in which coal miner on relief lives. Zeigler, Illinois." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Goodman Wonder ShowsGoodman Wonder Shows of America, owned by Max Goodman. It was a 35-railcar show based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Goodman sold the show in 1949. It was converted to truck transport, its base moved to Illinois and the name was changed to Imperial Expositions. Quite a few pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19558688@N02/albums/72157633104508236/ (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Mining, Stores & Markets)
Striking Portrait: 1939
"Coal miner during May 1939 strike. Kempton, West Virginia." 4x5 acetate ... out the number on this one. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Mining) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2017 - 9:31am -

"Coal miner during May 1939 strike. Kempton, West Virginia." 4x5 acetate negative by John Vachon for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Burnside potbelly stoveI found pictures of Burnside stoves with at least two makers in West Virginia: the Charleston Foundry Co. and the West Virginia Foundry & Stove Co. in Huntington. I've seen the model number on the door as high as 18, but I cannot with any certainty make out the number on this one. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Mining)
Generations: 1938
September 1938. "Mother-in-law of unemployed coal miner and his child. Marine, West Virginia." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. ... Very powerful. (The Gallery, Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Mining) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2015 - 9:27pm -

September 1938. "Mother-in-law of unemployed coal miner and his child. Marine, West Virginia." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. A very powerful photoThis photo brought tears to my eyes. The grandmother stoically endures her poverty knowing that her grandchild, who she lovingly holds, will no doubt experience the same fate. Very powerful. (The Gallery, Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Mining)
Our Parents: 1936
... metal tower supports the lifting mechanism for access to a coal mine shaft. You can see the sheaves for the lifting cables at its top. ... it, which makes me wonder if this was related to an active mining operation. By the way, the former Westmoreland County Volkswagen ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2019 - 12:09pm -

November 1936. "Burial ground in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Edwin Locke for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Jane and Bill are still there... but Derrick is out of the picture. Middle Presbyterian CemeteryJane Giffen Hunter April 2, 1814 - September 16, 1881 William Hunter January 26, 1811 - April 16, 1875 I can't find any indication on Find-A-Grave that John R. Hunter, buried beside them, is a relative. I realize it doesn't make sense (due to the proximity of the graves) but the family trees on all of their pages are pretty extensively documented (parents, spouses, siblings) and they don't match up. The structure in the background isn't there anymore. I'm thinking observation tower (they're common in Pennsylvania, although more on battleground sites than in cemeteries) but from this angle I can't find any way you'd climb up. Somebody help me see it. Incidentally, a 13-year-old boy fell 40 feet from the observation deck of the State of Pennsylvania Monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park on May 24th. He was airlifted to Penn State Hershey Medical Center with severe injuries. Be careful in cemeteries. Aunt and UncleJohn R. Hunter was the son of Jesse Hunter who is the brother of William. I also like bluson's comment about Derrick. Tower TaleThe metal tower supports the lifting mechanism for access to a coal mine shaft. You can see the sheaves for the lifting cables at its top. Westmoreland and Fayette Counties in southwestern Pennsylvania were a rich source of metallurgical (coking) coal from the Pittsburgh seam until the mines played out in the mid-twentieth century. There is a line of coal hoppers at the right of the photo. The counties are littered with the remains of beehive coke ovens. A brief history of coking in the Connellsville region of Fayette County is here: https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/beehive-oven. The thing in backIt's a mine pithead. Mine nearby?The structure behind (to the west of) the cemetery has two large cable pulleys on an axle, and cables running down the vertical and angled parts of it, which makes me wonder if this was related to an active mining operation. By the way, the former Westmoreland County Volkswagen (and later ex-Sony) manufacturing plant is located not too far west of this location. Composition, plusThe "derrick", most likely a headframe for an underground coal mine, makes nice contrast and an interesting composition for this photo. Very unique headstone, in my estimation, too. If you want to read something interesting, do a Google on the Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910-1911, and the jailing of women along with their young children. (The Gallery, Edwin Locke)
Alabama Stop: 1937
April 1937. "Coal miners' housing in Birmingham, Alabama." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the ... size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Birmingham, Mining) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2017 - 3:15pm -

April 1937. "Coal miners' housing in Birmingham, Alabama." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Birmingham, Mining)
Lightheaded Bros: 1940
September 1940. "Sons of Mr. Britton, coal miner-farmer near Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, and member of Tri-County ... served in the Army in WWII. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Mining) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2019 - 10:29pm -

September 1940. "Sons of Mr. Britton, coal miner-farmer near Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, and member of Tri-County Farmers Co-op in Du Bois." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Possible IDI took a quick look at census and veterans data to leave a trail in case friends or family do a search. Albert E Britton (1917-2003) and Robert Joseph Britton (1920-2002) fit the bill. Both served in the Army in WWII. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Mining)
Rollfast Redux: 1959
... size. That's a beauty for sure Living in the coal mining town I grew up in in the 50's and 60's. A bicycle that nice would get ... 
 
Posted by jckazoo - 02/04/2018 - 11:11am -

Here's a second look at my husband Peter's Rollfast Deluxe bike. Chenango Bridge, New York, 1959. Anscochrome slide. View full size. That's a beauty for sureLiving in the coal mining town I grew up in in the 50's and 60's. A bicycle that nice would get you beat up everyday. Nobody had that kind money to buy one. Nice shirt.Would be fashionable today, even. Perspective of TimeI look at that bike now and think "It's cooool, maaaan." But I know my 12-year-old 10-speed riding self would vehemently disagree. "Ugh, those handle bars.", she would say, turning up her nose. With a Rin Tin Tin belt buckle!This young man is seriously stylin' with the new bike and the Rin Tin Tin belt buckle. The Folly of YouthI cringe when I think of all the bikes that I destroyed as a kid. We all thought that the fancy stuff was for sissies and girls. Fenders, racks, bells, bags, lights all went into the junk pile. All the stuff that a restorer pays a premium for today. About the shirtI arrived on the hallowed shores of the US that same year and was about the same age as Peter. After spending the previous 5 years going to school in a grey shirt and grey shorts, the wildly colored and paisley patterned shirts that I would now be required to wear to school pretty much freaked me out for a few months until I got used to them. Memories!When I was 8 I wanted a bike. I can't remember if it was for my birthday or Christmas but Dad bought me a Rollfast bike. It was green. I must have ridden at least 100 miles on it during the next 8 years. By the time I was 15 or 16, it definitely as NOT cool to ride a bike so it went in the garage and who knows what happened to it. Home SewnThere's a very good chance that Peter's mother sewed that shirt - she made most of her own clothes, including the dress she wore at our wedding. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Sweet Snuff: 1938
... 1938. "Express Agency office and general store in coal mining town of Scotts Run, West Virginia." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/23/2016 - 11:12am -

September 1938. "Express Agency office and general store in coal mining town of Scotts Run, West Virginia." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. It's milderThan what? – a kick in the chest by a mule? Those Signs Would be Valuable TodayThese metal advertising signs, and the Railway Express Agency sign, would be quite valuable today. Back then, they were considered to be of little value and thus were allowed to rust away. The structure has a deep roof overhang on the left side, supported by diagonal braces rather than posts. The right half of the building is an addition as evidenced by the different width of the clapboards. There's an interesting worn area on the clapboard just to the left of the REA door. This adds evidence of un-depicted human activity to the photo. The weather-beaten porch floor looks like a tripping accident waiting to happen. Semester's worth of college moneyin those signs. Oh that Mail Pouch.... Just beautiful to see that. AhhhhhSnuff and Coal Dust, life was good back then. You can die of black lung or mouth cancer. Decisions, decisions!Do I want to smoke it in a cigarette or smoke it in a pipe or dip it or snort it or chew it? The only delivery methods not advertised here are the more modern ones: patches, lozenges, and gum. As a long-time smoker, clean for some four years, I confess that these signs prompt more than a little nostalgia for the days when we could feign ignorance as to the damage we were self-inflicting! Porcelain damageRailway Express sign top center damage: that is why all the old porcelain signs you find have the same type of damage spot. Putting them up with a hammer and nail. Muscle up on the last hammer blow. There goes the glass. (The Gallery, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Upper Chunkers: 1940
... was also a name for the canal boats that carried the coal from this area to market. Turnaround Mauch Chunk was a gritty ... town. Unfortunately not all of Pennsylvania's mining and manufacturing past has made a successful transition to the present. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/03/2017 - 1:58pm -

August 1940. "Women in Upper Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.         Mauch Chunk, a town whose name was "derived from the term Mawsch Unk (Bear Place) in the language of the native Munsee-Lenape Delaware peoples," was renamed Jim Thorpe in honor of the Olympic athlete after his death in 1953. Other aliases include "Switzerland of America" and "Gateway to the Poconos." In the darkThe reason these women look so pasty and depressed is likely because the sun only shines about three hours a day in most of the narrow defile now known as Jim Thorpe, PA. At some point the town became known as "America's Switzerland". It reminds me of a town one might find in southern West Virginia. C'mon, C'mon, Mauch Chunk,that's not a real name, is it?? is it??? The town with two namesAlso known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Nice place to visitSpent a week in the Poconos about 15 years ago and had a nice visit in Jim Thorpe. The Asa Packer Mansion there is one of the most interesting "old homes" I've ever visited, mainly because it's like it was 100 years ago, with all the old furniture and fixtures. It's not spiffed up like the Biltmore House in Asheville. The jail where they hanged members of the Molly Maguires is worth a visit, too. She is not a boat"Chunker" was also a name for the canal boats that carried the coal from this area to market. TurnaroundMauch Chunk was a gritty center of railroad activity back when Pennsylvania's anthracite was plentiful and in demand. Today thanks to its mountain location it has transformed itself into a clean, attractive, tourist-friendly town. Unfortunately not all of Pennsylvania's mining and manufacturing past has made a successful transition to the present. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids)
Life With Father: 1941
... served, he stayed home. WW2 My father was a coal miner in WV and did not serve. As we later learned, mining was almost as dangerous as the war. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2019 - 12:36pm -

May 1941. San Diego. "Family living at Kearney Mesa defense housing project. This man came to California from Oklahoma 10 years ago. He has been an agricultural worker living in various FSA camps. Now employed as a painter at Consolidated Aircraft." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I married Mom?Maybe it's the hairstyle, but does anyone else think the woman looks to be much older than her husband? What Comes Next?The photo and description begs so many questions. Did he fight in the war? Did he earn enough at Consolidated to buy her a wedding ring? Was he ever injured in an Oakland car accident? Whatever the answers, I hope they lived with few regrets and pride in their children. ON Kearny MesaThe Kearny Mesa section of San Diego is at higher elevation than much of the city itself. Many valleys and hills in the area, thus the term 'mesa'. Picky oldtimers who know best refer to it as ON Kearny Mesa as opposed to IN. BTW, I have much family still in nearby Linda Vista (yet another common SHORPY topography reference) and my mother was in the first graduating class at Kearny High (on Kearny Mesa). Go Komets! [You might live "on" Kearney Mesa, but you live AT the Kearney Mesa Defense Housing Project. - Dave] Mom?If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Shorpy (amongst many, actually), it’s that women in the 1930s and 40s look a helluva lot older than they actually are. (And is it just me, or do her eyes seem to float in two entirely different planes?) Military? Perhaps not.As Dave has pointed out, many men did not serve in the military in WW II. As a father with two children, working in what likely became a defense plant, he may have been kept stateside. My father was a supervisor at a GM factory in Michigan and while his brothers served, he stayed home. WW2My father was a coal miner in WV and did not serve. As we later learned, mining was almost as dangerous as the war. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Carbon County: 1940
... "Street in Upper Mauch Chunk, a small historic coal mining town in the Lehigh Valley." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2018 - 10:26am -

August 1940. Carbon County, Pennsylvania. "Street in Upper Mauch Chunk, a small historic coal mining town in the Lehigh Valley." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Go Play in the StreetUnsupervised kids was the norm when I grew up too, in the 1950s. There's nothing to do in the house, so out you go. The Mauch Chunks Are No LongerUpper (also known as East) Mauch Chunk and Mauch Chunk merged in 1954 to become Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. North Avenue today (The Gallery, Bicycles, Jack Delano, Kids, Small Towns)
Full Steam Ahead: 1913
... canal, this operation showed the way to large open pit mining that followed in places like Utah and Minnesota. The same equipment was ... The same railroad that took the rock away also delivered coal and water to the shovels and drills. In normal digging the shovel was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2014 - 4:59pm -

"Panama Canal excavation, 1913." The world's most celebrated shortcut marks its centennial this month. Copy negative; Harris & Ewing glass plate. View full size. Blast Hole DrillsHere is a beautiful restoration of a similar blast hole drill, although this one is run by a gas engine, instead of piped in steam or air... http://youtu.be/h-A6qXwfe-Y?list=UUFi8qTmbq8tIIyCap45cEGA Moving the shovelBeside winding up with a very useful canal, this operation showed the way to large open pit mining that followed in places like Utah and Minnesota. The same equipment was used there. The shovels are steam operated and move on railroad track. There are outriggers near the front to stabilize the shovel while digging. On this type of shovel only the boom swings to load the railroad cars. The same railroad that took the rock away also delivered coal and water to the shovels and drills. In normal digging the shovel was supported on short panels of track, about 10 feet long. As the shovel dug its way forward a track gang would leap frog the panels from the rear of the shovel to the front. I can't tell for sure who made these particular shovels but the shovels used for the canal were made by the Bucyrus and Marion companies. Both made similar machines. It appears in the picture that they are laying track to back the first shovel out of the cut to get it out of the way of the other shovel and prepare for the next blast. The machines on the bench above the trains are drills, drilling holes in the rock for the next blast. Before the blast can take place, both shovels have to be moved out and the tracks have to be removed. Then the holes can be filled with that new fangled dynamite and the rock can be blasted, the rail re-laid, and the shovels moved back in to start digging. The railroad track was also probably panels to speed up assembly and disassembly, sort of like Lionel track. A crane would come along and lift out 39 ft long panels, ties and all, and put them on a flat car behind it. The process would be repeated in reverse to lay new track. The railroad cars are flat cars with a bulkhead on one side. At the dump where they are unloaded a lever is swung into the first car from the side. As the train moves the lever pries the rock out of the cars to the open side. In later operations, side dump cars were used where the car bed itself was tilted to the side with air cylinders to dump the load. It was very labor intensive, dangerous, hard work to do these things, especially in the tropical heat. Hats off to these guys. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Nitshill Scotland
... ago, Much different from then, When there would have been coal mining & lime works locally Nowadays an urban sprawl being re developed ... 
 
Posted by Cezhart - 09/17/2007 - 9:47pm -

This is the only photograph my family has of Nitshill Scotland; the birthplace of my great-grandfather. The Taylor family lived above the Pub. This would have been around 1900. Nitshill Interested to see this old photograph, passed through Nitshill about three weeks ago, Much different from then, When there would have been coal mining & lime works locally Nowadays an urban sprawl being re developed Again! no industry or old pub left, up until about the mid 1960/s the lime works shunting locomotive used to take its wagons across the road (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Young Pilot: 1954
... is resting his bad leg, which was injured in a copper mining accident in the Upper Peninsula. Others include my grandmother, mother, ... in their best every Sunday. My grandfather was a retired coal miner with accident-injured legs also, but he made Sunday his "day of ... 
 
Posted by UpNorthBob - 04/21/2012 - 7:14am -

Young pilot and his family. Walnut St. Rochester, Michigan, 1954. My grandfather is resting his bad leg, which was injured in a copper mining accident in the Upper Peninsula. Others include my grandmother, mother, aunt, cousin, and father's shadow. Dressed up for SundayBeautiful family and in '54, all of my family also dressed in their best every Sunday. My grandfather was a retired coal miner with accident-injured legs also, but he made Sunday his "day of rest" and always wore a white shirt and dress clothes. We would usually go for a ride and an ice cream cone Sunday afternoon. Great days. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Uncle Joe's Christening
This was taken in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa in 1921. My uncle Joe was the baby in the middle ... 
 
Posted by mary catherine - 01/15/2012 - 3:24pm -

This was taken in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa in 1921. My uncle Joe was the baby in the middle row. His parents are the lady third from his right. His father is the man pouring out of the white pitcher. They are my grandparents. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Tony and Joe in 1923
... time. She had 6 boys in 10 years. This was taken in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by mary catherine - 01/17/2012 - 1:53pm -

My dad Tony, his younger brother Joe and my grandparents Catherine and Louis. My grandmother was expecting my Uncle Mario at this time. She had 6 boys in 10 years. This was taken in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Tony Grenci: 1920
My father about one year old in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. It was south of Eau Claire and right next to ... 
 
Posted by mary catherine - 01/15/2012 - 3:45pm -

My father about one year old in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. It was south of Eau Claire and right next to Hilliards, Pa. It no longer exists is now a State Gamelands. His family later moved to Butler, Pa. in 1928 when they closed down the mine. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Tony Mario Joe Grenci in 1924
... A picture of my dad Tony and his two brothers in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by mary catherine - 01/15/2012 - 2:38pm -

A picture of my dad Tony and his two brothers in the coal mining town of Lake Trade, Pa. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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