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An anthracite pile in Trevorton, Pennsylvania. Anthracite derives from the Greek anthrakítēs (ἀνθρακίτης), literally "coal-like". [9] Other terms which refer to anthracite are black coal, hard coal, stone coal, [10] [11] dark coal, coffee coal, blind coal (in Scotland), [7] Kilkenny coal (in Ireland), [10] crow coal or craw coal, and black diamond.
Anthracite coal was first found in 1762, and then was used for the first time around 1769 by Obadiah Gore and his brother in their blacksmith shop in Wilkes-Barre. However, coal usage was generally restricted to local consumption need until the industry began to expand at the turn of the 19th century. [14]
In 1810, 176,000 short tons of bituminous coal, and 2,000 tons of anthracite coal, were mined in the United States. American coal mining grew rapidly in the early 1820s, doubling or tripling every decade. Anthracite mining overtook bituminous coal mining in the 1840s; from 1843 through 1868, more anthracite was mined than bituminous coal.
Pottsville's anthracite coal history began in 1790 when a coal seam was discovered by hunter Necho Allen. Legend has it that Allen fell asleep at the base of the Broad Mountain and woke to the sight of a large fire; his campfire had ignited an outcropping of coal. By 1795 an anthracite-fired finery forge was established on the Schuylkill River.
Eckley Miners' Village in eastern Pennsylvania is an anthracite coal mining patch town located in Foster Township, Pennsylvania. Since 1970, Eckley has been owned and operated as a museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission .
The discovery of anthracite coal in the region in the early 19th century led to Tamaqua's rise as a coal-producing community. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1832. [7] The first coal breaker, called "The Greenwood" was built as noted in the quotation, at the site of the first mine at the lower end of the Panther Creek Valley.
Carbondale was the site of the first deep vein anthracite coal mine [7] in the United States, and was the site of the Carbondale mine fire which burned from 1946 to the early 1970s. Carbondale has struggled with the demise of the once-prominent coal mining industry that had once made the region a haven for immigrants seeking work.
Today Aberpergwm is the only producer of high-grade anthracite in Western Europe, creating a high-carbon coal which creates a clean burn with low emissions, low sulphur, and high efficiency. Although some product is still transported to Port Talbot Steelworks, now most of the output is finely crushed to produce a carbon product suitable for use ...