The Anthracite Cultural Board

The Anthracite Cultural Board Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Anthracite Cultural Board, Nonprofit Organization, Tamaqua, PA.

07/15/2026

Before the railroads, Pennsylvania moved its wealth on water, one mule at a time 🚢 In the early 1800s the state built an ambitious network of canals, and for a few decades those slow, narrow waterways were the arteries of the entire economy.

The scale of the effort was remarkable. The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, the Lehigh, Schuylkill, Delaware, and Union canals and others stitched the state together, carrying anthracite coal, iron, lumber, grain, and manufactured goods from the interior to Philadelphia and beyond. Boats were pulled by mule teams walking the towpath, moving at a few miles an hour, and locks lifted them over the changing terrain. The Main Line even hauled boats over the Allegheny Mountains on an inclined plane railroad, a genuinely audacious piece of engineering ⚙️

The canals made towns, moved fortunes, and then were largely made obsolete by the railroads within a generation. Today you can still walk long stretches of the old towpaths and find stone locks and lock houses tucked in the trees, quiet reminders of the era when Pennsylvania floated its way to prosperity 🌿

01/13/2026

Anthracite Mining Heritage Month
January 2026 Schedule of Events

This was pulled from the following webpage, with a few events added that are missing on the calendar. Our organization is not coordinating the list of events. For most up to date information, see the Anthracite Museum page here. https://www.anthracitemuseum.org/amhm/

Thurs. 15 Jan.
Civil War: The Homefront in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region
Event Location: Alvernia University – Pottsville College Towne, Pottsville, Penna.
Time: 6–7 PM

Sat. 17 Jan.
Movies in the Mines – Knox Mine Disaster Documentary (Tickets Required, Sold Out)
Hosted by the Underground Miners
Event Location: Brooks Mine, Scranton, Penna.
Showings: 12 Noon and 3 PM

Sun. 18 Jan.
Anthracite Photography with Michael Froio
Event Location: National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, Penna.
Time: 1–2 PM

Tues. 20 Jan.
Huber Breaker Preservation Society Presentation
Event Location: St. Leo the Great Church Hall, Ashley, Penna.
Time: 6–9 PM

Thurs. 22 Jan.
From the Mines to Rails
Event Location: First Welsh Baptist Church, Plymouth, Penna.
Time: 6:30–7:30 PM

Fri. 23 Jan.
Meet the Author – Lorena Beniquez – Lost Coal Country of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Event Location: LCHS Museum, Wilkes-Barre, Penna.
Time: 7–8:30 PM

Sat. 24 Jan.
Denchy C.O.A.L. Company Jewelry / Fashion Accessories
Anthracite Mining Heritage Month Trunk Show & Sale
(All proceeds will be donated to the Underground Miners Group)
Event Location: Old & Brew, Main St., Peckville, Penna.
Time: 11 AM–2 PM
Free and open to the public

Sat. 24 Jan.
Anthracite Insurgents
Event Location: National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, Penna.
Time: 1–2 PM

Sat. 24 Jan.
The Annual Knox Mine Disaster Commemoration
Event Location: Anthracite Heritage Museum, Scranton, Penna.
Time: 2–4 PM

Sun. 25 Jan.
Knox Mine Disaster Annual Memorial Mass, Commemoration, and Walk
Event Locations: Pittston, Penna.
(See the A.H.M. website for exact times and locations for this coordinated event)

Tues. 27 Jan.
Anthracite Labor History
Event Location: Anthracite Heritage Museum, Scranton, Penna.
Time: 6:30–8 PM

Thurs. 29 Jan.
The Annual Msgr. John J. Curran Lecture and Book Prize
Event Location: King’s College (Burke Auditorium), Wilkes-Barre, Penna.
Time: 6:30–8 PM

Fri. 30 Jan.
Slopes, Shafts and Planes – The Mechanics of Mining
With Mining Engineer Justin Emershaw
Event Location: Trinity Episcopal Church, corner of Montgomery Ave. and Spring St., West Pittston
(Hosted by the West Pittston Historical Society)
Time: 6:30 PM

Fri. 30 Jan.
The History of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company: 154 Years of Famous “Reading” Anthracite
Event Location: Eckley Miners Village Auditorium, Weatherly, Penna.
Time: 6–7 PM

Sat. 31 Jan.
Breaker Boys
Event Location: Lackawanna Historical Society / Catlin House, Scranton, Penna.
Time: 2–4 PM

Sat. 31 Jan.
David A. Lucas – Underground Anthracite Miner Movies
Event Location: Pine Grove Movie Theatre, Pine Grove, Penna.
Time: 2–3:30 PM

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Tamaqua, PA

Telephone

+14843669987

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