Near Scottdale in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Mammoth Mine Explosion

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, May 23, 2014

1. Mammoth Mine Explosion Marker

Inscription. On January 27, 1891, an explosion in the nearby Mammoth Number 1 Mine of the H.C. Frick Coke Company killed 109 coal miners. Seventy-nine of the dead were buried in a mass grave here in Saint John's Cemetery. This disaster was the worst one known to that time in a bituminous coal mine in Pennsylvania. It led to state legislation strengthening the program of mine safety inspections in the bituminous fields.

Erected 2000 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1673.

Location. 40° 5.58′ N, 79° 36.147′ W. Marker is near Scottdale, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland County. It is at the intersection of Scottdale Dawson Road (Pennsylvania Route 819) and Hornertown Road, on the right when traveling south on Scottdale Dawson Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scottdale PA 15683, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Laurel Highlands

and in Greater Pittsburgh.

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 Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Morewood Massacre (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Mammoth Mine Explosion (within shouting distance of

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this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Freedom Tree (approx. 0.7 miles away); A Tribute (approx. 0.7 miles away); Everson Area Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); David C. Marks (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scottdale.

Also see . . .
1. Mammoth Mine Explosion - Behind the Marker. ExplorePAhistory.com (Submitted on January 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

2. Mammoth Mine disaster. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 16, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, January 29, 2011

2. Mammoth Mine Explosion Marker

Mammoth Mine Explosion Mass Grave Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, May 23, 2014

3. Mammoth Mine Explosion Mass Grave Marker

Inscription reads:
79 of 109 victims of the explosion at Mammoth Mine No. 1 on Jan 27, 1891 are buried here in a mass grave.
PA Labor History Society 2000

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, May 23, 2014

4. Mammoth Mine Explosion Mass Grave Marker

Located in St. John the Baptist Cemetery south of Scottdale

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,551 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 23, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. submitted on August 23, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3, 4. submitted on May 23, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.