Bituminous mining began on a small scale in southwestern Pennsylvania during the mid-eighteenth century. During the mid- and late nineteenth century the industry grew enormously, greatly increasing output and the numbers of mines and workers. Thousands of people settled in western Pennsylvania to labor at mines and coke works.
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1760 |
The first mining of Pittsburgh coal occurs, a precursor to massive mining of the Pittsburgh coal seam during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century |
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1792 |
The first coal discovery is made in Tioga County |
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1840 |
Construction of the Corning and Blossburg Railroad is completed to ship Blossburg coal; this is one of many railroad lines that ship bituminous coal to wider markets |
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1845 |
Clay Furnace, which uses bituminous coal as fuel, is constructed; coke made from bituminous coke later becomes the principal fuel for the iron and steel industry |
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1877 - 1940 |
18,000 men and boys die in bituminous mines |
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1879 |
Henry Clay Frick becomes a millionaire; Frick's coal and coke company dominates the industry in southwestern Pennsylvania during the late nineteenth century |
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1880 |
Fayette County is the largest producer of coke in the country |
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1890 |
William B. Wilson helps found the United Mine Workers of America union (UMWA) |
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1891 |
Mammoth Mine explosion kills all 109 workers in the mine |
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1891 |
Moorewood Massacre occurs, in which sheriff's deputies fire on striking coke workers, killing seven |
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1897 |
The Berwind-White Coal Mining Company begins construction of Windber, a "model" company town in Somerset County |
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1897 |
UMWA wins recognition as collective bargaining agent for miners at many Pennsylvania bituminous mines |
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1902 |
Anthracite coal strike results in UMWA winning a ten-percent pay raise, shorter work day, and partial recognition enabling it to appoint representatives to a Board of Conciliation that adjudicates labor-management disputes |
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1905 |
The Pennsylvania State Police are formed in part to help control labor unrest in the bituminous fields |
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1907 |
The Darr Mine disaster, the worst mine disaster in Pennsylvania history, kills 239 miners |
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1911 |
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones works for the UMWA to organize Westmoreland County miners |
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1916 |
Production from the Pittsburgh seam peaks at forty million tons of coal; about 46,000 beehive coke ovens convert most of this output into coke |
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1918 |
Bituminous coal production in Pennsylvania peaks at 177 million tons |
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1919 |
Fannie Sellins, a UMWA organizer, is shot and killed during a miners" strike in New Kensington |
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1922 |
Nationwide strike by UMWA; John Brophy opposes leaving nonunion strikers out of UMWA's agreement with operators |
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1922 - 1923 |
Nonunion miners strike for union recognition in the Windber Strike of 1922-1923 |
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1927 |
UMWA stages major, unsuccessful strike; judge issues Rossiter strike injunction that greatly limits strikers" actions |
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1930 |
West Virginia surpasses Pennsylvania in bituminous coal production |
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1933 |
Congress passes the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), which authorizes collective bargaining between unions and management in many industries, and spurs enormous growth of the UMWA |
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1934 |
The federal government establishes Norvelt, a community that provides housing and work for unemployed miners and their families during the Great Depression |
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1937 - 1943 |
American Friends Service Committee develops Penn-Craft, an experimental community for unemployed coal miners during the Great Depression |
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1942 |
Coal production peaks in Cambria County at twenty million tons |
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1963 |
State law requires restoration of strip-mined land |
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1969 |
Joseph A. "Jock" Yablonski, embattled reformer within the UMWA, is murdered on orders from Tony Boyle, president of the UMWA |
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1993 |
Pennsylvania bituminous coal production is fifty-eight million tons |
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