Our Collection

Although the project has been in existence and collecting materials since 1977, it has only been since 1993 that we have been able to make our resources available to the public. Today, the collection is housed in the Coal and Coke Heritage Center which serves as an archive for:

* more than 625 hours of taped interviews
with people from the coal and coke era,

* a variety of mining and coking artifacts,
photographs, maps, blueprints, documents,
scrapbooks, and newspapers,

* a special library collection of coal mining literature, manuscripts, essays, poetry, and journal articles,

*an array of music, videos, and slide presentations,

*an art collection featuring regional artists
and depictions of life experiences, places,
and events of the coal and coke region,

* the development and offering of university courses: American Studies 50:
The Literature and Lore of Mining
American Studies 105
Folklore and American Studies 402W
which focuses on special topics of the
Connellsville Coal and Coke Era.

The Coal and Coke Heritage Center
also serves as a resource center for . . .

lectures, presentations, workshops, and tours for groups of any age
educational programs for schools and community groups
consulting and advisory functions for projects related to coal and coke.
The project inventory is continually growing and evolving. We are constantly seeking people with knowledge of the history, development and management of the industries as well as of mining coal, burning coke, or patch (coal community) life to share their experiences with us. We are also always on the lookout for new photographs, artifacts, paintings, maps, and print media that help document the coal and coke era. Every new interview, document, or artifact adds another dimension to the story. If you or a family member or an acquaintance would like to contribute materials, lend items for exhibit, or add your voice to the oral history collection, please contact the Center at 724.430.4158. (More contact resources may be found on our Contact page.)