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Story Bibliography
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King Coal: Mining Bituminous Bibliography
Further Reading

Beik, Mildred Allen. The Miners of Windber: The Struggles of New Immigrants for Unionization, 1890s-1930s. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996.

A detailed history of Windber and its workers and residents; focuses on the different immigrant groups in Windber and their struggles for better pay, working conditions, and authority in this company town

Binder, Frederick Moore. Coal Age Empire: Pennsylvania Coal and its Utilization to 1860. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1974.

Brestensky, D. and others. Patch/Work Voices. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991.

Brophy, John. A Miner's Life. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1964.

Brophy's autobiography, details his work in the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).Also includes his work in coal mines as a boy and young man, and gives his perspective on his conflict with John L. Lewis, the long-time president of the UMWA.

DiCiccio, Carmen. Coal and Coke in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1996.

This is considered the definitive source on the history of Pennsylvania's bituminous coal and coke industry.

Eavenson, Howard N. The First Century and a Quarter of American Coal Industry. Pittsburgh, PA: Waverly Press, 1942.

An older, encyclopedic text on the history of the American coal industry up to the late nineteenth century. Has useful chapters on Pennsylvania bituminous mining, including coverage of specific coal fields and counties.

Hovanec, Evelyn A. Common Lives of Uncommon Strength: The Women of the Coal and Coke Era of Southwestern Pennsylvania 1880-1970. Uniontown, PA: Patch/Work Voices Publishing, 2001.

A terrific resource on the thousands of women who lived in southwestern Pennsylvania as their husbands worked in the bituminous coal and coke industries there. The book includes stories about women's daily lives, their relationships, and their support systems during tragedy.

Hume, Brit. Death and the Mines: Rebellion and Murder in the UMW. New York, New York: Grossman Publishers, 1971.

A history of the events that led to the murder of labor leader Joseph A. "Jock" Yablonski and of the work and reform efforts of the UMWA.

Long, Priscilla. Where the Sun Never Shines: A History of America's Bloody Coal Industry. New York, New York: Paragon House, 1989.

This history of the national coal mining industry up to World War I gives special attention to bituminous coal mining in Pennsylvania.

Meyerhuber, Carl I., Jr. Less Than Forever: The Rise and Decline of Union Solidarity in Western Pennsylvania, 1914-1948 . Selinsgrove, PA: Susquehanna University Press, 1987.

This study of the efforts of labor unions to organize workers, institute strikes, and bring about reform for coal miners in western Pennsylvania emphasizes the strikes between 1925 to 1928 and reform efforts of the UMWA during the 1920s and early 1930s.

Mulrooney, Margaret. A Legacy of Coal: The Coal Company Towns of Southwestern Pennsylvania.. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service/US Department of the Interior, 1989.

A social and architectural survey of bituminous coal mining towns based on historical sources, oral histories and HABS/HAER field reports, amply illustrated with maps and architectural plans. Includes in-depth case studies for three notable southwestern Pennsylvania coal patches (Windber, Star Junction and Colver).

Warren, Kenneth. Wealth, Waste, and Alienation: Growth and Decline in the Connellsville Coke Industry. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh, 2001.

An outstanding, detailed history of the coke industry in southwestern Pennsylvania. Focuses on business, technological and labor history.

Warren, Kenneth. Triumphant Capitalism: Henry Clay Frick and the Industrial Transformation of America. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh, 1996.

The best of several biographies of Henry Clay Frick. Puts Frick's career in the context of industrializing America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.


Web Guide

Coal Dust: The Early Mining History of Indiana County, Indiana University of Pennsylvania http://www.lib.iup.edu/spec_coll/exhibits/table_of_contents.html

Features excellent articles on various bituminous-mining topics, including events, places and people in Indiana County, written by faculty at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania; also includes listings of archival collections at this university that are related to the industry.

Coal and Coke Heritage Center http://www.fe.psu.edu/Information/Community/31281.htm

This website provides an overview of the collection of resources available at the Coal and Coke Heritage Center at Penn State University, Fayette Campus. This center provides numerous resources (photographs, maps, newspapers, and hundreds of hours of interviews) preserving the history of the bituminous coal and coke in the Connellsville area.

McIntyre, Pennsylvania, The Everyday Life Of A Coal Mining Company Town: 1910-1947 http://www.mcintyrepa.com/miners.htm

A phenomenal website that includes a wonderfully organized array of primary resources on life of the bituminous coal mining town of McIntyre. Included are quotes about memories of mining and photographs of tools, coal buildings, pay stubs, and other artifacts. It also provides useful suggested weblinks to coal information. Just a wonderful site!

McIntyre, Pennsylvania, The Everyday Life Of A Coal Mining Company Town: 1910-1947 http://www.mcintyrepa.com

Very good website about the history of this coal patch; includes narratives on various aspects of McIntyre's history, photographs, documents, and quotes from oral histories.

Western Pennsylvania Coal Fields http://www.coalcampusa.com/westpa/index.html

Coal towns are explained and illustrated in this site. The towns are listed by bituminous coal fields in western Pennsylvania.

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