Welcome to the Coal Culture web site!
On this site you will find images and other primary sources that document the lives of Southwestern Pennsylvania miners and their families from the middle 19th through the late 20th century. In order to enhance the value of these primary sources we have also included:
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BACKGROUND: background essays written by local historians (including Indiana University of Pennsylvania professors) to provide context for primary sources included in the database.
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LESSON PLANS: Lesson plans, prepared by Indiana University of Pennsylvania Social Studies professors and consistent with the Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Standards to facilitate use of the materials in the classroom.
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TIMELINE: chronological list of significant events in local mining history.
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SEARCH: a search tool to allow you to search the collection of primary sources, background essays and articles, lesson plans, timeline, and bibliographic entries.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY: bibliographic information on articles and books which offer more information on Southwestern Pennsylvania coal mining life.
Special Thanks to Eileen Mountjoy who wrote many of the background essays and who collected and organized the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company Media Collection, from which many of our photographs were taken.
The project was funded by a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) .