Anthracite Heritage Foundation

09/26/2026

Today at 11 am and 2 pm. Walk-ons accepted.

09/26/2026

It was the thrill of a lifetime to be surrounded by the Philharmonic last night to narrate 240 years of local history. Thank you to my co-creator Steve Husted on our video. It was a joy to work with you. To Mélisse Brunet, NEPA Philharmonic conductor, and Chason Goldschmitz, executive director, c'est magnifique! To share the stage with dancers, musicians, and Broadway stars Celia Hottenstein and Travis Taber was an honor I'll carry with me always. And to Romilda Crocamo, county manager, thank you for being the spark that ignited the celebration. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the story of the place we call home. Happy 240th, Luzerne County! Happy 250th, America!

Thank you Don Armstrong for the photo!

PS Steve and I will add the narration to the video and upload it to YouTube shortly. Watch here for the link.

09/16/2026

A few days ago Sue did a few cosmetic touchups on the Back Mountain Memorial Library mule who lives in the main room of the library.

She and a “mule team” of young art students created "Theophilus Bartholomule’s" distinctive coat over two decades ago and christened him with a name to portray his significant status in our community!

Theophilus didn’t even quiver as she touched up peeling areas on both sides of his belly, on his back, and inside his ears. What a good boy he is!!!!

Make sure you pay Theophilus a visit next time you're visiting the library!

09/12/2026

09/05/2026

Miners working the Mammoth vein at Shenandoah, PA | 1892

This photograph appeared in Demorest's Family Magazine in March 1892, illustrating Frances Benjamin Johnston's article "Through the Coal Country with a Camera." Johnston made it at the Kohinoor Mine in 1891, and it shows miners working the Mammoth vein beneath the Schuylkill County borough of Shenandoah.

The Mammoth, long described as the thickest bed of anthracite in the world, typically ran about 20 feet thick. Pennsylvania geologists report that 40 to 60 feet was not uncommon, with far greater thicknesses recorded in places.

09/05/2026

Carnegie Medals may lose their shine over time. Send us your medal and we will restore it free of cost.

Learn more: https://www.carnegiehero.org/heroes/resources-for-awardees/carnegie-medal-refinishing/

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....