Western Maryland Coal Talks: Coal Mine News and History

Baltimore Sun article by Timothy Wheeler and Tom Pelton about the closing of Mettiki Mine on Backbone Mountain.

Amazon energy from a solar project in Garrett County, Maryland, that is being built on the former site of a 120-year-old coal mine. roject developer Competitive Power Ventures says the project will include 300,000 solar panels and will help the region avoid roughly 133,000 tons of CO2 – the equivalent of taking more than 26,000 cars off the road each year.

Baltimore Sun article written by Greg Tasker discussing the plans to cleanup the abandoned Vindex Mine site in the late 90s.

Article written by David A. Byline for the Journal Gazette that recounts the history of Vindex, MD - a former mining town that is currently vacant.

Kempton boomed and busted decades before the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 began regulating active and abandoned coal mines to protect the environment. However, the mine still discharges gallons of acid mine discharge into the Potomac River.

Article written by James Rada, Jr. for the Cumberland Times-News, which discusses the closing of the Vindex Mine in 1950.

Article on History's website that recounts the history of Centralia, PA. The abandoned mining center houses underground fires.

Baltimore Sun article about the gradual disappearance of coal mines in Appalachian Maryland, and how federal regulations could possibly destroy what remains of the mining communities.

A September 7, 2022 NY Post article about a group of West Virginia coal miners rescued a couple after their electric vehicle died, pushing the car to a charging station at the coal mine.

Website created by Joe Manning, a published author and historian who grew up in Maryland. This sections focuses on the Blizzard family who lived in the mining community of Kempton, Maryland.

The Kempton Historical Archaeology Project (KHAP) tells the domestic story of individuals and families who have been all but overlooked by American historians: the average 19th and early 20th Century Appalachian coal mine laborers.

A National Archives exhibition of photographs by renowned documentary photographer Russell Lee telling the story of workers who helped build a nation. Russell Lee’s coal survey photographs honor a group of Americans, more diverse than we realized, who were mostly hidden from view.

History of western Maryland's coalfields: Casselman, Georges Creek, Lower Youghiogheny, Upper Potomac, and Upper Youghiogheny.

The Coal Heritage Trail is located within the National Coal Heritage Area and winds through more than 187 rugged miles of scenic industrial heritage, where thousands of hard-working miners labored to produce the coal which created modern America. The story of the southern West Virginia “smokeless” coalfields is a remarkable legacy of working-class culture, industrial might, racial and ethnic diversity, and the creation of a unique and distinctive culture of national significance.