Anthracite Mine Disaster ­ Dedicated October 23, 1994 Avondale Mine Disaster Marker Seventy-two miners died by suffocation and a government rescue worker also was killed. Borough building, located on Charles Street and Sanderson Ave. in Throop. The Avondale Mine had only one opening and 110 miners were killed when a fire swept the mine in 1869. Located at US 11 at junction of PA 29, Plymouth. Carbon County Carbondale Formed March 13, 1843, carbon is the basic element of this area's rich deposits of anthracite coal. The county seat, incorporated in 1850 as Mauch Chunk, was renamed in 1954 for Jim Thorpe, Native American athlete. Dedicated June 13, 1982. Jim Thorpe. City Hall Route 6/Pa 106 ­ Erected in 1947 (three markers). Here the first underground mine was opened in June 1831, near Seventh Ave. Columbia County Rev John J. Curran - "The Labor Priest" Formed March 22, 1813 out of Northumberland County. Named in honor of America. County seat, Bloomsburg, became this state's only incorporated town in 1870. County Courthouse, Main Street, Bloomsburg. Instrumental in Strike of 1902. Hillard and Penn Streets, Wilkes-Barre. Danville - Pottsville R.R. Jesse Fell Opened Sunbury to Paxinos in 1835, operated on wood rails by horsepower. Steam locomotive first used in 1838; and iron rails, 1853. The terminal was nearby; here anthracite was loaded on canal boats for shipment to Phila./Baltimore. PA 147 (Front St.) in Sunbury. First to burn "stone coal" in an open grate. E. Northampton and S. Washington Streets, Wilkes-Barre. Firth Dock The uppermost dock on the Schuylkill Canal. From the 1820's to the 1850's anthracite coal was shipped via the Schuylkill Canal to Philadelphia and beyond. Route 209 between Port Carbon and Pottsville. Philip Ginter Gravity Railroad - Erected in 1947 While hunting, Ginter discovered anthracite on Sharp Mountain here in 1791. In 1792 the first Anthracite Company was formed. Ludlow Park in Summit Hill. Dedicated May 27, 1991. Jim Thorpe. Here began one of the first railroads in the Western Hemisphere, built 1828-1829. US 6 at Garfield Ave, Carbondale. Knox Mine Disaster Lackawanna Iron In 1959 the Susquehanna River broke through the Knox Coal Company mine killing twelve workers and causing underground flooding throughout the Wyoming Valley. Located at St. Joseph's Church, Main Street, Port Griffith. Iron rails for the Erie R.R. were made here in 1847. Cedar Ave. near Lackawanna Ave., Scranton. Lattimer Massacre Burd Patterson In 1897 nineteen marchers were killed and 38 were wounded during the coal miners' strike. Two markers one at PA 924 at Harwood, SW of Hazleton, and off SR 3028 just east of Lattimer Crossroads, N. of Hazleton. Patterson played a prominent role in the development of the anthracite coal mining trade in Schuylkill County in the 1820's to the 1850's. 803 Mahantongo Street, Pottsville. Montour County Pennsylvania Canal Formed May 3, 1850 from Columbia County. Named for the Indian woman leader, Madame Montour. Site of the first manufacture of iron T-rails for railroads. County Seat Danville, was incorporated 1849. County Courthouse, Mill St, Danville. The North Branch and West Branch Divisions, built 1828-34, joined here in Northumberland at a canal basin. Boats with coal from Nanticoke or lumber from Williamsport locked down into the river nearby and re-entered the Canal on the west bank. US 11 in Northumberland near E end of bridge. Pennsylvania Canal (North Branch Division) Pennsylvania Gravity This Division, built 1829-32, carried coal, until 1901, from Nanticoke mines to Northumberland, and from there to inland towns and seaport cities. From Lackawanna Creek downwards there were two dams, fourteen locks and seven aqueducts. Traces of towpath and canal bed can be seen. US 11, 3.5 miles NE of Northumberland. The PA Coal Co. gravity railroad was in operation between Pittston and Hawley from 1850 to 1885. Tigue Street across from the Holiday Inn, Dunmore. Schuylkill Canal Schuylkill County The Schuylkill Canal provided the early means for shipping anthracite coal to market in Philadelphia and beyond from 1828 until 1851. Corner Pine and Pike Streets, Port Carbon. Schuylkill County was formed in 1811 and evolved in importance during the 19th and 20th centuries because of its vast anthracite coal wealth. Corner 2nd and Laurel Boulevard, Pottsville. Scranton Switchback Railroad Four markers on main highways entering the city: South Main Avenue: PA 307 on the East: US 6 on the North: US 11 on the NE. A gravity railroad was built in 1827 to carry coal from the mines near Summit Hill to the Lehigh Canal at Mauch Chunk. Erected May 25, 1971. SR. 3012, three miles SW of Jim Thorpe. Terence V. Powderly The Pioneer Noted labor leader. N. Main Ave. near Mears St., West Scranton. This gravity railroad car was used on the Pennsylvania Coal Company Railroad. Nay Aug Park, Scranton. Twin Shaft Mine Disaster Valley Furnace In June 1896 fifty-eight men were entombed as they were attempting to prevent a cave-in when the timbers supporting the mine collapsed. Located at N. Main and Union Streets, Pittston. The site of the earliest successful use of anthracite in the process of smelting iron in the 1830s. Route 209, east of New Philadelphia. White Haven Wyoming Division Canal Named for Josiah White whose Lehigh Navigation system was vital to coal and lumber transport. PA 940 about 150 ft west of bridge, White Haven. This canal opened the Wyoming Valley's anthracite field to the mid-Atlantic coal trade. Along with the railroads, it ultimately enabled the Wyoming Valley to become the world's largest anthracite coal producer. N. River and E. Jackson Streets, Wilkes-Barre.