Easton in Northampton County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Promise of Anthracite Coal
1790 - 1818
Anthracite coal is almost pure carbon, has the highest energy content of any coal, and produces a hot, smokeless, long-lasting fire. Northeastern Pennsylvania is one of a handful of places in the world where it is found. Pennsylvania coal — particularly anthracite — almost completely displaced water, wood, and charcoal as America's favored energy source in the mid-19th century. This set the nation on course for an explosion of economic, industrial, and social changes that altered the landscape of the Corridor, the Commonwealth, and the entire United States.
Anthracite was discovered in northeastern Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, but every attempt to move the coal from mine to market in large, profitable quantities failed. In 1818, White and Hazard bought up the leases of the bankrupt Lehigh Coal Mine Company in Summit Hill. They built a road from the mine to Mauch Chunk, then White found a way to tame the wild, shallow and rocky Lehigh River into a reliable transportation route.
"The importance of coal in American industrialization cannot be overstated."
— HistorianWalter Licht, in Industrializing America, 1995
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[Caption:]
Josiah White and Erskine Hazard re-opened the bankrupt Lehigh Coal Mine Company in Summit Hill, 10 miles west of Mauch Chunk, in 1818. Strip mining was practiced there, and coal was hauled by wagon to the Lehigh River.
Erected by City of Easton, Pennsylvania.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 40° 40.072′ N, 75° 14.213′ W. Marker is in Easton, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. Marker is on Hugh Moore Park Road, 0.2 miles south of Hill Road, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Easton PA 18042, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lehigh Crane Iron Company (here, next to this marker); Fathers of the Industrial Revolution (within shouting distance of this marker); From Mine to Market (within shouting distance of this marker); Iron in Colonial Pennsylvania (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution (about 400 feet away); Men of Iron (about 400 feet away); From Brownfields to Greenfields
Credits. This page was last revised on October 5, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 128 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 5, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
