Anthracite Heritage Foundation

08/30/2026

08/25/2026

https://www.mellon.org/article/the-west-virginia-miners-whose-stories-build-a-museum

In West Virginia near the Kentucky border, the Appalachian Mountains loom over the historic town of Matewan, a constant reminder of the vast, coal-rich earth of this area that once fueled an entire nation. At its height in 1940, there were more than 130,000 coal miners in West Virginia. Now, amidst....

08/15/2026

08/15/2026

08/14/2026

On Jan. 21, 1921, three miners were overcome by dynamite fumes about 200 feet inside a tunnel near Rausch Creek, Pennsylvania. Without hesitation, Warren A. Hoy and Peter G. Rumpf entered the poisonous atmosphere on a small motorcar to rescue their fellow workers.

The pair first brought Frank Carter, an unconscious chargeman, to fresh air before returning to rescue a machine man in the same manner. Knowing that another machine man remained inside the tunnel, Hoy and Rumpf entered a third time.

Rumpf dragged the unconscious man partway back toward the motorcar, but as the deadly fumes overwhelmed him, he was forced to retreat and run more than a mile to summon help. Hoy remained behind but was overcome near the motorcar and died in the rescue attempt.

After reviving, Frank Carter, despite having only just been rescued himself, re-entered the tunnel alone. With great difficulty, he dragged the unconscious man approximately 200 feet to the open air, saving his life.

For their extraordinary courage and selflessness, Peter G. Rumpf, Warren A. Hoy, and Frank Carter were each awarded the Carnegie Medal and are remembered today in the Carnegie Medalist section at Anthracite Miners Memorial Park.

Learn more: https://www.carnegiehero.org/monument-honors-40-carnegie-medalists-from-pennsylvanias-anthracite-coal-region/

08/11/2026

Johnny Johnson finding a book on the Molly Maguires at the Gladstone Library.

08/11/2026