I was born in Hazelton in 1954. Lived on Church street for 22 yrs. . Moved out of Pa in 1976 after high school and college. I know those mines and the area well. Thanks for the memories from my childhood
Was this documentary made by their local PBS station!? It is absolutely my all time favorite short documentaries. Insanely well done. Keep producing documentaries like this.
It is locally produced by Tim Novotny of WVIA! We are so happy to hear you've enjoyed it! You can view all of our Short Takes series via RUclips here ruclips.net/p/PLneQ5D_QomlwCYE_bX8HWIB7qook2NdGN
This documentary is awesome. I’ve visited Hazleton because many generations of my wife’s family are buried there. It’s an interesting town. While anthracite is the main player, many historical events happened above ground in that region. For example, Hazleton was an early adopter of Edison’s electric lights in 1884. More recently, one of the first places in America to have cable television in 1949. Cable’s birthplace is in Mahaney City which is 13 miles south west of Hazleton. There is always a dark side to history like the 1895 Lattimer Massacre. Anyway, the people are friendly and the pizza is good. Be respectful when visiting.
I know where there are hundreds of those maps from the Hazleton area. Most of them are drawn on paper with so much rag content that where there were small tears they sewed them with a needle and thread. Lots of them from the 1800's. As far as accuracy goes, the story I was told by old timers was that Al Roman used those maps to decide where to drill to rescue the miners at Sheppton in 1963. They used Pagnotti's drill rig, and a bit flown up from The Hughes Tool Company in Texas by helicopter. Pope John XXIII also made an appearance underground and helped (Seriously)
I hvae lived here my whole life and i never knew how extensive the workings of all the mines were. While i drive down broad or church im driving over such a huge complex of mines is staggering!
I was born in Hazelton in 1954. Lived on Church street for 22 yrs. . Moved out of Pa in 1976 after high school and college. I know those mines and the area well. Thanks for the memories from my childhood
Was this documentary made by their local PBS station!? It is absolutely my all time favorite short documentaries. Insanely well done. Keep producing documentaries like this.
It is locally produced by Tim Novotny of WVIA! We are so happy to hear you've enjoyed it! You can view all of our Short Takes series via RUclips here ruclips.net/p/PLneQ5D_QomlwCYE_bX8HWIB7qook2NdGN
I’ll be sure to check them out.
You did amazing at sharing how beautiful our city really is. If only everyone else would appreciate what we have.
My great grandfather worked in those mines. God bless all the men and boys who were down there. Can't imagine!
If you were a kid working in those mines back then, i think you’d earn the right to be called a man. Doin shit down there i wouldn’t even dream of.
This is a wonderful documentary!
This documentary is awesome. I’ve visited Hazleton because many generations of my wife’s family are buried there. It’s an interesting town. While anthracite is the main player, many historical events happened above ground in that region. For example, Hazleton was an early adopter of Edison’s electric lights in 1884. More recently, one of the first places in America to have cable television in 1949. Cable’s birthplace is in Mahaney City which is 13 miles south west of Hazleton. There is always a dark side to history like the 1895 Lattimer Massacre. Anyway, the people are friendly and the pizza is good. Be respectful when visiting.
I've been wanting to know more about an air shaft out there from the buck vein. crazy he mentioned it!
I know where there are hundreds of those maps from the Hazleton area. Most of them are drawn on paper with so much rag content that where there were small tears they sewed them with a needle and thread. Lots of them from the 1800's. As far as accuracy goes, the story I was told by old timers was that Al Roman used those maps to decide where to drill to rescue the miners at Sheppton in 1963. They used Pagnotti's drill rig, and a bit flown up from The Hughes Tool Company in Texas by helicopter. Pope John XXIII also made an appearance underground and helped (Seriously)
Hey Joe! Thanks so much for the comment and sharing your this story.
Wow!
Really well done.
Glad you liked it!
This needs to be shown in our schools to allow a new generation to understand the Hazleton historic culture.
I would like to know how each street underground got its name & who was the one or one's who got to name them and why that name.
I hvae lived here my whole life and i never knew how extensive the workings of all the mines were. While i drive down broad or church im driving over such a huge complex of mines is staggering!
Should make a longer more indepth documentaries on this subject. Would make a great series on nat geo
What about PBS? :) Thanks for watching and commenting!
Coal was the lifeblood of the country. Trains, home heating, factories, ships, power generation all dependent on those miners.
Ironically mining has both stabilized and destabilized cities worldwide both above and below the surface.
I ripped up the coal waste piles on my atv lol.
And then one day it closed and they left.