Historical society members enjoy Pioneer Tunnel tours
Jul. 23—ASHLAND — The history and heritage of anthracite coal mining can be found above and below ground, and on Thursday members of the Schuylkill County Historical Society got a taste of both as they toured the Pioneer Tunnel tourist site.
About 20 people from the society and family members came to the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train site in Ashland as the most recent tours are organized by the society to learn about the history of coal mining in the region through well-known historian Stu Richards. He and Tommy Symons Sr. are the two halves of the popular folk music duo The Breaker Boys.
James A. Haluska Jr., assistant director of the historical society and a museum consultant, organized the participants and readied the bagged lunches. The society rented the pavilion in Higher Up Park for lunch.
"This is the first time we're doing tours of the various historical sites around the county," Haluska explained, noting this is the first time at Pioneer Tunnel as a group. "We're looking at other sites throughout the county, such as Fighter's Heaven."
Fighter's Heaven is located near Deer Lake and was a training camp for three-time heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali.
"We want to make this a regular feature at the society and give a chance for our friends at the society to get together, have a lot of camaraderie, and maybe go somewhere they haven't gone for awhile," Haluska said.
"We're also offering a bus tour to Philadelphia to see the Museum of the American Revolution and the American Constitution Center on Aug. 21," society board member Bill Van Stone said. "I think people will enjoy that. It's going to be a good one."
The sponsoring of the various tours and activities this year is a way to make up for the lack of many activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began last year.
"We sent out a survey a few months back if people were ready to get back out there, and overwhelming people want to get out there," Haluska said. "They were tired of being cooped up and not being able to go anywhere. So we figured we would give people the opportunity to go places that they maybe took for granted that it would be always there and I'll get there one day."
Both Haluska and Van Stone said they had taken the mine tour once many years ago.
Richards spoke during the lokie and mine tours.
"I'm showing them how the whole operation was done because it's totally unique to this area," Richards said.
The visitors first took the lokie tour on the Henry Clay 1. Pioneer Tunnel actually has two lokies, the other being the Henry Clay 2, with both stored in a "lokie barn." The last time it ran was in 2000. The Henry Clay 1 was made in 1927, and the Henry Clay 2 was constructed in 1926, both manufactured at the Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre. Both engines were purchased in 1962 by Ashland Community Enterprises, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Pioneer Tunnel tourist attraction, being saved from a junkyard in Hazleton shortly before they were scheduled to be cut into scrap. When they arrived in Ashland, work began to make them operational. The Henry Clay 1 has been the main engine that takes visitors for an outdoor tour around the Mahanoy Mountain at the top of Ashland.
As for the site's history, the Pioneer Tunnel coal mine operation, named after the nearby Pioneer Colliery, began in 1854 and produced about 400 tons of anthracite coal per day. During its operation, which included the years it was owned and operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company between 1911 and 1931, Pioneer Tunnel never had a fatality, a remarkable feat for such an operation.
The tunnel sat dormant after its closing in 1931, but about 30 years later the idea came about turning the old mine into a tourist attraction. According to retired Business Manager Kathy Lattis, Pioneer Tunnel did receive a recognition from the state that the tourist site was one of the top 10 in Pennsylvania, though the actual ranking was not given at the time and it is not known now. It is recognized as the anthracite region's longest operating mine tour.
This year marks the 90th anniversary that the mining operation was closed, and 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the mine tour.
The Historical Society of Schuylkill County was incorporated in 1903. The name has changed to the Schuylkill County Historical Society, but it is still the official historical society of the county. Its purpose is to discover, procure and preserve the records of the history of Schuylkill County and any materials which may illustrate that history. The society has a priceless collection of historical materials of Schuylkill County that is used by members, researchers, scholars and the general public. The present location is in the historic Centre Street Grammar School that was constructed during the Civil War.
For more information about the historical society, which is based in Pottsville, call 570-622-7540 or go to schuylkillhistory.org. The society headquarters and museum is located at 305 N. Centre St., Pottsville.
To contact Pioneer Tunnel for more information on times for the mine and lokie tours, call 570-875-3850. The website is www.pioneertunnel.com.
Both organizations also have Facebook pages.
Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023
