Scranton in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Avondale Mine Disaster Victims
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 7, 2019
1. Avondale Mine Disaster Victims Marker
On September 6, 1869, the mine shaft at the Avondale Mine near Plymouth, PA caught fire. 108 men and boys lost their lives when their only chance of escape was blocked. Two rescuers also perished. Avondale stands as the most deadly mining disaster in the anthracite coal industry.
May the men and boys of the Avondale Mine disaster always be remembered, for in mining their black bounty near the depths of infernal darkness, their souls were uplifted to the heights of eternal light.
William Lipski
Dedicated September 9, 2009
September 1869 Avondale Mine disaster victims
buried within Washburn Street Cemetery.
Lower Row
Thomas Morris Thomas Davies John Burch John Burch Jr William Powell
James Powell William Harding William L Williams William N Williams Edward Owen
William D Jones Morgan Watkins Richard Woolley William J Evans Edward Edwards
William Porfit John Jenkins John D Evans William J Davies James T Williams John J Thomas
Middle Row
Thomas Hatton William Hatton Thomas D Jones Daniel D Jones
David Thomas Thomas L Jones Thomas Hughes John Hughes
William Lewis Samuel R Morgan Evan Rees Henry Morris
James Phillips David J Rees David Rees William Rees
William T Morgan Lewis Davies Rees Lumley Joseph Morris
John E Thomas Thomas Llewellyn Rees Llewellen
Upper Row
John Harris Richard Owen William R Rees William Evans
Methuselah Evans William Evans Lewis Evans
William R Evans William Bowen Rowland Jones
Laid to rest in nearby family plots
Evan Hughes John Bowen Thomas Phillips William Phillips
[The Roll of Honored Dead was unveiled on September 7, 2019]
Erected 2009.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is September 6, 1869.
Location. 41° 24.871′ N, 75° 41.527′ W. Marker is in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in Lackawanna County. It can be reached from Washburn Street. The markers are in Washburn Street Cemetery, off Washburn Street about 0.6 miles west of Main Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scranton PA 18504, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Avondale Mine Disaster (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Veterans Memorial
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 7, 2019
2. Avondale Mine Disaster Victims Honor Roll Marker
Also see . . .
1. Avondale Mine Disaster. (Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Avondale Mine Disaster Site, Plymouth, PA 2005 Tour. (Submitted on September 11, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. 150th Anniversary of the Avondale Mine Disaster (WNEP, 2019). (Submitted on September 11, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Additional commentary.
1. The Avondale Mine Itself is not in Lackawanna County
The Avondale mine is not in Lackawanna County. It is in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor
— Submitted April 26, 2026, by Gerard A Schutz of Shavertown, Pennsylvania.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 7, 2019
3. Avondale Mine Disaster Victims Plot and Markers
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,074 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
