Danville in Montour County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Hard Coal Navy
| | Let The River Be Your Guide | |
The process of dredging coal on the Susquehanna between Danville and Sunbury started as early as the 1890's and continued to the 1950's.
A fleet of battered steamboats and barges known as the Hard Coal Navy worked the waters of the North Branch. These boats and their industrious captains dredged up coal from the river bottom, waste that had washed down from the anthracite coal fields of the Wyoming Valley.
This was a seasonal industry, and at the height of the season, there would be as many as 200 barges dredging the river from Nanticoke to Harrisburg. The coal was sold to utilities, industries and schools.
[Caption:]
In 1919 and 1920 over 2,000,000 tons of river coal was harvested each year.
Erected by Susquehanna Greenway; Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 40° 57.513′ N, 76° 37.11′ W. Marker is in Danville, Pennsylvania, in Montour County. It is at the intersection of Water Street and Ferry Street, on the left when traveling west on Water Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 107 Water St, Danville PA 17821, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna 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.
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Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 195 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
