In the late 1700s to mid-1800s, coal miners worked in dim light, fueled at first by candles affixed to their heads, and later by whale’s oil lamps.
Hundreds of years later, Underground Miners, a dedicated nonprofit of volunteers consisting of miners and coal mine enthusiasts, will demonstrate the vintage lighting miners used to dig for anthracite coal at Brooks Mine, located at 1901 Mulberry St. in Scranton.
The group’s founder, Chris Murley, 45, of Tunkhannock, the superintendent of Brooks Mine, said the Nay Aug Park-based mine will show guests what kind of working conditions coal miners toiled in on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We’ll have the old oil-wick lights and carbide lights and first-generation electric mine lights and old safety lights that you’ll use for checking for gas,” said Murley. “People can see what it was like in the early 1900s with just the very vintage lighting that they had.”
Murley said the mine is open to visitors of all ages, and is free of charge, as all of their events are. A fundraiser will also take place June 7, with visitors encouraged to make donations during their visit, which will include admission, presentations and hot dogs.
Mark Izak, a volunteer with the nonprofit and tour guide at Brooks Mine, said a new room in another coal chamber is now open at the mine, and will be on display as part of the presentation.
“A scraper engine and coal drag system has been set up near this vein to demonstrate one of the methods that miners used to get coal out of these tight areas, about 32-36 inches in height,” Izak said. “We will be doing a live demonstration of this technique.”
Izak said eastern Pennsylvania is the only area in the entire United States where significant anthracite coal is found, and that because of it, America was able to grow into the powerhouse it is today. The purpose of the mine, he explained, is to keep the history of the area’s anthracite mining roots alive in people’s minds.
“It’s something that’s disappearing as we know it; that’s why we’re so busy holding onto it and trying to preserve it,” Izak said, speaking of anthracite coal mining and mine culture. “It’s a big part of history right here. … This is the coal that keeps New York City, Philadelphia warm because we were running out of trees and we had to find an alternate fuel.”
Anthracite brought about much prosperity for some people, Izak noted, while many others suffered, relying on the demanding job of coal mining as a means to survive and care for the family. “There was no sick days, no vacation time. Nothing,” he said. “You simply worked until you died in the early days.”
Murley explained that, as a child, he used to visit Nay Aug Park in Scranton, where his grandparents lived, and said he always thought the mine should be open. In 2021, he got the idea as an adult to make a childhood whim a reality. In August 2023, hundreds of hours of work put in by him and the nonprofit group of volunteers paid off.
Since then, the mine has been open to guests a total of a few hours per week over the course of 10 months, and has received as many as 10,000 visitors, Izak said.
“Scranton, Wilkes-Barre wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for anthracite coal,” said Murley. “We feel it’s important to teach people about that.”