Credit: Courtesy of Chris DellaMea, www.coalcampusa.com/
Large scale coal mining in the Windber Field began in the 1890s. The dominant company was the Berwind White Coal Company and the coal mined was low-volatile "smokeless" coals. Coal seams mined included the Upper and Lower Freeport, Lower Kittanning, and Brookville. The original mines of the Windber Field were closed in the 1950s and 1960s, but some coal mining still occurs in the area. According to the PA D.E.P.'s 2001 report, there were 9 deep mines and 46 strip mines in Somerset County in 2001.
