Eckley in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Land Use
Photographed by Craig Doda, October 19, 2019
1. Land Use Marker
Inscription.
Land Use. . The first American inhabitants migrated into this area as the last glaciers receded 12,000 to 18,000 years ago. By the mid-18th century, Europeans arrived and initially settled near Wilkes-Barre, PA. These later settlers were mainly farmers from Connecticut who cleared the heavily forested lands in the Susquehanna River Valley using lumber for homes, buildings, and fencing.
Europeans began mining anthracite coal in the late eighteenth century and by 1870 the region had over 200 collieries that produced over 14 million tons of coal. By 1914 the mining industry reached its peak employment of 180,899 and by 1917 the annual amount of coal mined reached to 100 million tons.
The rapid growth of regional mining and urban settlement significantly changed natural and historic land use patterns. Large tracts of timber were cleared to open land for new mine, industrial, and urban development. Lumber use grew dramatically for anthracite breakers, surface buildings, mining towns, urban markets, and to shore up mine shafts and underground workings. Waste material from coal mining, called culm, was piled on the landscape near mines creating new land forms called culm banks while thousands of miles of mine workings and rail road corridors were cut to mine and transport coal to new markets.
As earth-moving technology advanced from the late 19th century, mines used large excavators and trucks to strip away the various layers of earth, called overburden, to reach coal seams leaving behind large piles of waste and deep open pits.
The first American inhabitants migrated into this area as the last glaciers
receded 12,000 to 18,000 years ago. By the mid-18th century, Europeans
arrived and initially settled near Wilkes-Barre, PA. These later settlers were
mainly farmers from Connecticut who cleared the heavily forested lands in
the Susquehanna River Valley using lumber for homes, buildings, and fencing.
Europeans began
mining anthracite
coal in the late
eighteenth century
and by 1870 the
region had over
200 collieries that
produced over
14 million tons of
coal. By 1914 the
mining industry
reached its peak
employment of
180,899 and by
1917 the annual
amount of coal
mined reached to
100 million tons.
The rapid growth of
regional mining and urban
settlement significantly
changed natural and
historic land use patterns.
Large tracts of timber
were cleared to open land
for new mine, industrial,
and urban development.
Lumber use grew
dramatically for anthracite breakers, surface buildings, mining
towns, urban markets, and to shore up mine shafts and
underground workings. Waste material from coal mining, called
culm, was piled on the landscape near mines creating new land
forms called culm banks while thousands of miles of mine workings
and rail road corridors were cut to mine and transport coal to
new markets.
As earth-moving technology
advanced from the late 19th
century, mines used large
excavators and trucks to
strip away the various layers
of earth, called overburden,
to reach coal seams leaving
behind large piles of waste
and deep open pits.
Erected by Pennsylvania
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Historical & Museum Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location. 40° 59.583′ N, 75° 51.75′ W. Marker is in Eckley, Pennsylvania, in Luzerne County. It is on Main Street, on the left when traveling west. On the grounds of the Eckley Miners' Village & Museum (Ghost Town). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Weatherly PA 18255, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region, in the Wyoming Valley, and in Greater Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. 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: Eckley Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured
Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 287 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 28, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
