Read essays, histories, and anecdotes about people whose colorful lives revolved around Pennsylvania's Coal Culture.

Visit Coal Culture Background to learn more about coal mining in Western Pennsylvania
Lucius Waterman Robinson: A Dominating Figure

Lucius Waterman Robinson was the chief executive of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal & Iron Company from 1899 to 1919.

A Woman's Day: Work and Worry

Read about the life of a coal miner's wife in the early 20th Century.

Mary Harris Jones

Mary Harris Jones, known as Mother Jones (1837 1930) was born in Ireland, and came to the United States where she became an American labor union and community organizer. Mother Jones helped the UMWA organize the country's miners.

Fiddlin' Joe Yesolivich

Read about Joe Yesolivich, a coal miner-turned-fiddler in Indiana County.

Ernest: Life in a Mining Town

Find out what life was like in a company-owned mining town.