No. 9 Coal Mine & Museum, Lansford, PA

April 26, 2025

On Thursday we went to the No. 9 Coal Mine & Museum for a tour into the mine.  First a little history of the mine from their website.

"The No. 9 Coal Mine, nestled in the Panther Valley, holds a significant place in history as the longest continuously operated deep Anthracite coal mine in the world. Established in 1855 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, the mine was strategically developed to access the rich Mammoth Vein of Anthracite coal. Unlike the earlier mines in nearby Summit Hill, which struggled with increasing groundwater levels, the No. 9 Mine was driven at a lower elevation, allowing groundwater to naturally drain from the mine portal without the need for pumps. By 1857, the mine had reached its first vein of coal, and by the following year, it was contracted to produce an impressive 90,000 tons of Anthracite coal annually.

The No. 9 Mine operated continuously from 1855 until June 22, 1972. After its closure, the mine remained abandoned until 1992, when a dedicated group of locals, passionate about preserving the region’s coal mining heritage, took control of the property. This non-profit organization, now known as the Panther Creek Valley Foundation, has transformed the No. 9 Mine into a museum that honors the legacy of the coal miners who worked there. Restoration of the mine began in 1995, and the first tours commenced in 2002.

Today, visitors can embark on an immersive journey into the past. The experience begins with a 1,600-foot rail ride into the mountain, followed by a 600-foot guided walking tour. Along the way, visitors can explore the original 700-foot deep mine shaft, walk the historic “mule-way,” where young men once guided mules between different levels of the mine, and visit a miner’s hospital cut into solid rock."

 

Engine and coal cars

The mine ran from 1855 to 1972, but renovations and updating were done in 1931.

We rode on the rails in old rusty cars where you couldn't stand up 1600' into the mine.  It was not as light as these pictures show because I used night vision on my phone.  As you can see, it was very wet and muddy.  The temperature in the mine never goes above 50 degrees.

One of the side shafts.

The elevator that went down to levels two, three and four. Levels three and four are now flooded.  The elevator carried people, coal cars, and anything that went down to the mine.  Notice there are no railings; the miners would hold on to the handles hanging down from the ceiling, or hood.  The hood was to keep anything falling on the miners from above.

This shuttle motor moved the cars left to right to line up with the elevator.

Ore car

View of the elevator from the other side.

Another mine tunnel.  There are several miles of tunnels.

For many years if a worker was injured or killed in the mines they would stay down there until the end of the shift.  They worked 10 hour shifts, so if they got injured in the first hour and broke a leg they would have to wait another nine hours to get help.  Although the lighting is barely good now, the only light they had then was from their headlamps, which wasn't much.  It was cold, dark, and muddy down there, and your buddies would leave you somewhere out of the way. I can't imagine having to wait for hours in the dark to be able to leave the mine and get treatment.  Eventually they got this 'hospital' which was used to treat the miners before the end of the shift.  Our tour guide said it was painted white and kept very clean.  There weren't any doctors at this hospital though, so someone that had been trained by the doctor would be the one to help the miners.

This was a ventilation shaft in the roof of the mine.
Near the floor of the mine there was dark gas (C02), which was not combustible.  Near the roof of the mine was methane, which is combustible. The miners used to carry little lamps with them to test the air.  If the flame went out they knew to get out of the mine.  Also there were rats in the mine, which they took care of and fed.  They knew if all the rats were heading for the exit they'd better follow fast.  Being a miner was tremendously hard work, for which they got little pay.  They were permanently hunched over from the work and many died of lung diseases.  There were boys as young as 7 working down there, taking care of the mules and leading them through the mine.  The youngest child to die was 15.  If the miner was killed the family had 24-48 hours to get out of their house.  It was a rough life for sure.

It was a really good tour and I'm glad we did it.  Once was enough for me but John said he would go again.

Our next adventure will take us a place that everyone will recognize when we're...

Roving on...

For this is what the LORD says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and not create if as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited): "I am the LORD, and there is no one else."  Isaiah 45:1

Bethlehem, PA

 April 22, 2025

We had a full day sightseeing.  First we went to the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, PA, the site of Bethlehem Steel Mill.

This is a map of all the plants of Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem.  I was told that there were over 250 buildings.

The building that houses the museum was the old electrical repair shop.

Corliss Pumping Engine.  It was huge!  The museum is part of the Smithsonian and when it was opened they moved some of the industrial machines here.

I never realized that cement and concrete were different.  Evidently so!

Being a quilter I'm interested in the textiles exhibit.

Narrow Ribbon Loom

Braiding Machine

I took a video of this as John turned it but I can't upload videos to the blog.

Jacquard Repeating Machine
They used punch cards to make the designs.  A precursor to the computer.

Jacquard Card Lacer
More punch cards.

Jacquard Piano Card Punch

Warper

Cutaway of Jacquard Head
There were a lot of moving pieces!

Winder

Jacquard Loom
Notice the punch cards.

Bethlehem Steel built 1,127 ships of 19 different classes during World War II.

Armor Plate

Pretty impressive.

After we left the museum we went to the Hoover Mason Trestle.  It was the rail line to take the materials to make steel to the blast furnace.  Now it's a walkway.

A huge plant that just seemed to keep going.  Now a lot of rust.

One of the cars to take the materials to the blast furnace.

It was a beautiful day the Lord gave us!

Blast furnace diagram.

The materials go up the chute and into blast furnace.  There were five of these along the walkway.

They basically used the same method as Cornwall Furnace.  But to see all this they've come a long way!  I'm sure this was a noisy and dirty place.

After leaving we ran some errands and went home.  It was a long day but I got my 5,000 steps!

One more tour tomorrow before we will be...

Roving on...

For this is what the LORD says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and not create if as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited): "I am the LORD, and there is no one else."  Isaiah 45:1

Harpers Ferry, WV - Fayetteville, PA - Manheim, PA - New Tripoli, PA

 April 16 - 22, 2025

On Thursday, April 17 we drove to Fayetteville, PA to Chinquapin Hill Campground.  It was full hookups for $48 per night but since we were only staying one night we only hooked up the electric.

We went there to have dinner with John's late sister's husband and his new wife.  We had a great time visiting and ate some yummy Mexican food!

On the 18th we drove to Pinch Pond Family Campground in Manheim, PA for two nights.  It was full hookups for $58 per night.

While there we went to the Cornwall Iron Furnace.  It's the only surviving intact charcoal cold blast furnace in the western hemisphere.  In the 1730s, Peter Grubb, a stonemason, began mining iron ore nearby.  In 1742 he established the furnace, naming Cornwall after his father's birthplace in England.  This furnace remained in operation until 1883.  When Peter died in 1754, the property passed to his sons, Curttis and Peter.  By 1798, the Grubb family sold out to Robert Coleman.  Coleman was so successful in the business that he became one of Pennsylvania's first millionaires.  The Coleman Furnace remained in operation until 1883.  Newer furnace operations fueled by anthracite coal (instead of charcoal), and after the Civil War steel mills in Bethlehem and Pittsburg made it obsolete.  It was abandoned leaving the building virtually untouched until it was donated to the state in 1932 by the great-granddaughter of Robert Coleman.  

Cornwall Iron Furnace Information

More from the information board.

We started in the visitor center and watched a short film on the history of the furnace and surrounding area.

These cannonballs were made at the furnace.

This shows how the iron was made.  They went across the charging bridge and dumped in charcoal first, then iron ore, and then limestone down the charge. Everything had to be in the right amounts to make the iron ore.  The melted iron ore came out the bottom.

This is the charging bridge where the wagons of charcoal, iron ore, and limestone were brought in.

This is the opposite side of the room where the charge is.

This is the "great wheel" that is 24 feet around and weighs 4 tons. The wheel is original and was put in place during the mid 1800s expansion.  It still works (although powered by electricity and it goes much slower than it would have back then).

The wheel powers the wheel in this room, which creates power for the furnace.  It was powered by a steam engine and pumped air into the furnace to increase the temperature inside.  

The molten iron would come out here.  If it was going to be made into stove plates, cannon balls or cannons it would flow into molds (on the left) and be left to cool.

If not it would flow into these troughs to harden into bars called pig iron.  (The workers thought the cooling pink iron looked like piglets lined up in a trough and called it pig iron).  This iron would be taken to other refineries to be made into a variety of items necessary for daily life.

Pig iron bars

Part of Cornwall Furnace

The paymaster's office.

Robert Coleman was very rich and build a mansion across the street and up a hill from the furnace.

 It was built around 1773, and in 1865 extensive remodeling added the Italianate architectural elements. The mansion is not open to the public because there are apartments for a few residents.

It was all very interesting and worth a trip if you're in the area.  It was only $7 for seniors for the tour.

On Sunday we drove to Allentown KOA for seven nights.  It's 50 amp full hookups for $66 per night.  They had a deal - six nights get the seventh free. I figured we'd been going pretty fast and it would be nice to just sit in one place for a few days.

Our site.  It's kind of off the beaten path, but much quieter than the last few campgrounds that were by highways or toll thruways.

Tuesday we went to Ironton Rail Trail to ride our e-bikes.  John did great but unfortunately my balance isn't what it used to be and I didn't get far.  I really did try but I think I'm going to sell it.  Anyone want to buy a Lectric e-bike?

We still have time here to see some other things before we start...

Roving on...

For this is what the LORD says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and not create if as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited): "I am the LORD, and there is no one else."  Isaiah 45:1