Jamison (Elrico), Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
[A Coal Company Patch town in Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania.]
[Elrico was located along the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.]
[Elrico was also called Jamison by the locals.]
See: Elrico Mines, Elrico (Jamison), Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
       Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine, Elrico, Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
       Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine, Elrico, Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA

Elrico Mines (ca.1910's-  ?  ),
Located on the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1/2 miles east of PA Rt.819, at Slickville, on county road, Elrico, Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
[The Elrico Mines were called:
Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine,
Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine,
Irwin Gas Coal No. 5 Mine (was formerly called Keibler Mine).]
[See: Irwin Gas Coal Company Mines.]

Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine (ca.1926-1951),
Located on the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, .5 mile north of Sloan, along Getty Run, at Elrico Station, Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
Owners: (ca.1926-1951), Irwin Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA

Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine (ca. 1926-1951),
Located on the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1/2 mile east of Elrico Station, on Getty Run, Elrico Station, Loyalhanna Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
Owners: (ca.1926-1951), Irwin Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA

Irwin Gas Coal No. 5 Mine
(Keibler Mine)
(Speakman Mine) (ca.    ?    ),
Located on the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, on an unnamed Run, 1-1/4 miles west-northwest of Sloan, and 1-1/4 miles southeast of Slickville near Walters Road southwest of Elrico & Slickville, Sloan, Salem Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
[was formerly called Keibler Mine]
Owners: (ca.  ?   ), Irwin Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA
                            Company Store: Newcomer Supply Company

Irwin Gas Coal No. 6 Mine
(Lauffer Mine) (ca.    ?    ),
Located on a Spur of the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, northeast of Delmont, west of Slickville, on T 790, Salem Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
Owners: (ca.1920 -  ?  ), Salem Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA
              (ca.1923 - ?  ), Irwin Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA

Irwin Gas Coal No. 9 Mine (ca.1920's-  ?   ),
Located near Seward, Fairfield Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
Owners: (ca.1920's - ? ), Irwin Gas Coal Company, Greensburg, PA

The coal company-built houses include single-family residences containing two stories, brick chimneys and clapboard siding.  Each had a hollow clay-tile or concrete-block foundation; modifications include the application of new siding materials over the original weatherboard, enclosed porches, room additions, and altered windows.

Exploiting the 72 inch - thick Pittsburgh Coal seam, these mines produced over 229,000 tons of coal in 1918, virtually all of which was shipped to market over the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pensylvania Railroad.  Over the next two years the Irwin Gas Coal Company expanded its interests, acquiring coal properties in Salem Township and Loyalhanna Township, just east of Slickville.

The Irwin Gas Coal Company established the town of Elrico, in Loyalhanna Township and opened the Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine and Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine, each containing a drift entry.  In 1921 the Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine was the company's largest producer; over 114,000 tons of coal were extracted from this mine.  In 1921 the Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine produced over 54,000 tons of coal.

Expanding their interests in the area, Irwin Gas Coal Company acquired the Keibler Mine (formerly the Speakman Miine) near Sloan, in Salem Township and renamed it Irwin Gas Coal No. 5 Mine.  In ca.1923 Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine produced 83,394 tons of coal, Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine produced 109,089 tons of coal and Irwin Gas Coal No. 5 Mine produced 26,342 tons of coal.  Most of the production of  these mines No. 3, No. 4 & No. 5 was shipped to market over the Turtle Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The two mines near Elrico employed 157 miners in ca.1921.  There were no coke works associated with any of the Irwin Gas Coal Company mines.

By ca.1926 the Irwin Gas Coal Company had expanded again, operating six mines in Westmoreland County and one mine in Fayette County.  This included Irwin Gas Coal No. 2 Mine at Export, Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 & No. 4 Mines at Elrico, Irwin Gas Coal No. 5 Mine at Sloan, Irwin Gas Coal No. 6 Mine at Delmont, and Irwin Gas Coal No. 9 Mine at Seward, all in Westmoreland County, and Irwin Gas Coal No. 11 Mine at Uniontown in Fayette County.

The firm was led by T. Pollard Latta of Greensburg, who was previously superintendent of mines for the Jamison Coal & Coke Company, of Greensburg, PA.

Before 1930 the coal company began to strip mine the coal at its properties in Export and Delmont; however, it continued its underground operations at its Elrico Mines.  By 1930, the company was reorganized with John B. Brunot of Greensburg heading Irwin Gas Coal Company.  T. Pollard Latta had departed the company to lead the New Alexandria Coke Company and the Hempfield Coal Company, each with mines in Westmoreland County.

In ca.1930, only the Irwin No. 3 Mine and Irwin No. 6 Mine were operating in Westmoreland County. In 1930 the Elrico operation at Irwin Gas Coal Irwin No. 3 Mine employed eighty-four miners and Irwin No. 3 Mine ran for 116 days, the miners produced nearly 63,000 tons of coal in 1930.

Both, the Irwin Gas Coal No. 3 Mine and Irwin Gas Coal No. 4 Mine operated in the 1930's.  Equipment at the mines in 1935 included mechanical screens, picking tables, three trolley locomotives, and loading booms, Irwin Gas Coal Irwin No. 3 and Irwin No. 4 Mines were finally abandoned in December, 1951.

(History and description of the Erico Mines,  with additional data and pictures adapted from "Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites, 1994,"  America's Industrial Heitage Project, National Park Service, Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record, U.S. Department of the Interior, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.)

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