Eckley Miners Village, Weatherly, Pennsylvania

The U.S. state of Pennsylvania is a state known for so many things.?It was in this state where at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the national of the United States of America was founded and established, and, later, the United States Constitution was established limiting the powers of the government.?It was in a town called Gettysburg that was the site of the largest battle of the American Civil War where the tide was turn in favor of the Union, and, months later, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.?As for chocolate lovers, a suburb of the state capital, Harrisburg, is named for Milton Hershey, the founder of Hershey Chocolate that is still headquartered there today.?One of the biggest things the state is known for is coal mining.?As they did their daily mining, they also had a place to live.?Many of them lived in villages set up for miners and their families.?Among these villages is the Eckley Miners’ Village in Weatherly, Pennsylvania.?As you walk through this village, you will see how the miners and their families lived.

Some of you are saying, “This must be a nice village, but without the railroad, this is not a railroad site.?Therefore, I will not be paying a visit here.”

So you do not want to visit because this is not a railroad site.?Here is a reason to visit the Eckley Miners’ Village.

As you arrive, you enter the visitor center to pay your admission.?You enter the museum that displays the history of the village and the coal industry.?One of the things you will see is a model of the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Schuylkill Number 4, a steam locomotive.?The mine owner traveled by train from his mansion to the mines.?Sadly, he was also killed while riding a train.

Well, you did not come to see a museum.?You want to see the village itself.

The first building you see is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the primary church where many of the miners worshipped.?From there, you walk down the main street.?You walk past the different houses many of which are still lived in today (and not open to the public).?You come upon the Company Store.?As you look around, you will notice a rail line on the side of the store.?Across from the store is the mine itself where the coal was mined and placed onto coal cars.?You will see old coal cars on display.?Sadly, you cannot enter the mine (due to safely regulations), but you can get a glimpse of what the miners had to work through.

The Eckley Miners’ Village was once an actual miners’ village with many of the original structures from the day that it was an active village.?Some of the homes are lived in today although the no longer are miners from the mine.?As you walk or drive through, you may find yourself going back in time.

The Eckley Miners’ Village is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.?It is located at 2 Eckley Back Road in Weatherly, Pennsylvania.?It is open from Thursday to Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.?Please note that the street is gravel, and the structures are not wheelchair accessible.?You can get more information and learn more about the different structures at https://eckleyminersvillage.com/.

Come to the Eckley Miners’ Village.?Enter the life of a coal miner.?Go back in time.