Free admission, author talk on bootleg mining set for Saturday at Eckley Miners' Village
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is offering free entry and an author talk at Eckley Miners’ Village on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Mitch Troutman, author of “The Bootleg Coal Rebellion: The Pennsylvania Miners Who Seized an Industry, 1925-1942,” will speak at 2 p.m. in the Eckley Visitors’ Center auditorium. The talk includes archival footage of bootleg mining.
According to the PHMC, Troutman’s book “tells the story of Depression-era anthracite miners who secretly dug coal on company property to support their families through the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. Troutman draws timely lessons from the first-hand accounts of bootleg miners and the unlikely labor union that they formed, demonstrating how anthracite communities today can find inspiration in their histories to meet contemporary challenges.”
Walking tours of the preserved company-owned mining town will also be offered.
“Preserving more than 200 structures built as early as the 1850s, Eckley tells the story of anthracite coal mining, the history of patch towns and their residents, and the evolution of regional culture,” the PHMC says.
Eckley will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to Eckley (located at2 Eckley Main St., Weatherly, Pennsylvania) is typically $6 to $8 per person, depending on age. Other sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History will also be free to visit on Saturday.
From the archives:Conservation Corps restores Eckley
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Eckley Miners' Village to host free history event
