Mining Life and Culture in the Anthracite Region

 “There is no business on earth subject to as many casualties.”  Mining life and culture in the Anthracite Region

A lecture by Harold Aurand, Jr.

The anthracite coal industry was full of contradictions.  Mining had many of the attributes of high status jobs.  Before a miner could take charge of a workplace he had to be licensed by the state.  He was given autonomy in setting the pace of his work, and how he would go about doing it.  Promotion to low level supervisory positions required practical experience working in the mines.  The way he was paid suggested miners were viewed by mine owners as respected, independent producers of coal, not just wage employees.  Despite all this, miners’ pay remained low, and many struggled to escape poverty.  It was little better for the mine owners.  Although anthracite powered the industrial revolution and heated the homes of many eastern cities, the actual digging of coal usually brought little profit.  This talk will focus on what exactly happened here.  Why anthracite mining always seemed to be a better career and investment than it was, and how the unique patterns of work and industry gave rise to a distinct local culture.