The Marguerite water reservoir was drained several years ago. A large, rock-lined ditch was dug in the lower end (at the dam) and all of the water drained out. The creek that fed it now meanders through the weed-filled depression of what was the reservoir.

The Village of Marguerite is composed of the Company Store and three rows of approximately forty houses.  The Company Store, now owned by a trucking concern, the former company store is a much altered one-story wood-frame building with a lightly ornamented wood parapet wall extending across the front, horizontal wood siding, and a rubble stone foundation.  The storefront has been greatly altered with the installation of two sliding wood doors and the interior has been rearranged to serve as a garage.

The houses are primarily of two types:  the first type is the standard two-story wood-frame double house with a gable roof, two brick chimneys, a full-length porch, a stone foundation, and the main entrances located parallel with the gable ridge.  The second type is virtually identical with the exception of salt-box roofs.  Modifications to the houses include the application of new siding materials over the original clapboard sliding, the enclosure of porches, the alteration of windows and doors, and the conversion of double houses into single-family houses.

The name of the coal company patch town of Klondike was changed to Marguerite, sometime around 1900 or so.

The Marguerite Coke Works and Mine were served by the Sewickley Branch of the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, later the Pennsylvania Railroad.

During its first year of operation the miners at Marguerite Mine extracted 250 tons of coal each day, all of which was used in the bee-hive coke ovens of the Marguerite Coke Plant.

In ca.1900 the Standard Connellsville Coke Company established a second mine, Marguerite No. 2 Mine and Coke Works at Marguerite.  The company operated a total of 400 bee-hive coke ovens at the two Marguerite Mines.  Marguerite No. 2 Mine, was a slope mine, and Marguerite No. 1 Mine, was a drift mine.  The two mines produced over 240,000 tons of coal and the coke works produced 175,000 tons of coke in 1900.  The company employed about 490 workers at its Marguerite operations, and was led in ca.1900 by Jared M. B. Ries of Uniontown.  The following year, however, the Standard Connellsville Coke Company was reorganized as the Continental Coke Company.  The H.C. Frick Coke Company took over the Marguerite operation in ca.1903 and acquired Continental Coke Company outright in ca.1904.

By ca.1906 the Marguerite Mines were producing about 225,000 tons of coal, and 31,000 tons of coke, and employing 388 miners.  Nearly 1,000 persons lived in Marguerite in ca.1906.

In ca.1909 the Marguerite Mine had a slope opening and the mine was considered gaseous.  Marguerite Mine employed 2 mining machines powered by compressed air in ca.1909.

In ca.1910 the Frick Coke Company added two twelve-room double houses, containing indoor plumbing and steam heat, the for company offic8als employed at Marguerite Mines.  Throughout the 1910's production remained fairly stable and a single steam locomotive was used to haul coal to the surface. Other equipment used at the Marguerite Mines in 1914 included eight return tubular boilers, three compressors, and three pumps.  In 1929, the mine's last year of operation under the H.C. Frick Coke Company, over 98,000 tons of coal was produced, with a work force of 283 miners, working 126 days.

Under the ownership of the King Brothers Coal & Coke Company, the Marguerite Mines and Coke Works were reopened and operated through the mid 1950's.

The United Mine Workers of America, Local #7951, represented the coal miners at the Marguerite Mine.

King Brothers main office was in Scottdale where Denis Byrne grew up.They shipped most of the coke to Hanna Steel in Lackawanna N.Y. King was one of the many small independent coal -coke operations in Westmoreland County at that time who leased from H. C. Frick and paid Frick a royalty per ton of coal mined. The mine ran three shifts during WWW II and the boom after the war. The business peaked around 1949 and I believe all activity ceased around 1953.

Dennis Byrne writes, I am 60, and I can still hear the zing of the cable as the hoist began to pull the little cars from deep within the mine to the surface; and I remember the weary look on the miners faces, but somehow, still displaying great personal strength in those faces.

The last place I expected to find on the web was Marguerite and I am delighted to have found it. I think what you are doing is a real tribute to those men who worked in the most dangerous profession of all - coal mining.

I remember hearing of the Hamarville mine and thought it was owned by one of the large steel or oil companies. Aside from that, I know little else. I put the Marguerite film on VHS about five years ago along with many family films and it won't be any problem to duplicate that part and send it to you in July.

King Brothers main office was in Scottdale where I grew up.They shipped most of the coke to Hanna Steel in Lackawanna N.Y. King was one of the many small independent coal -coke operations in Westmoreland County at that time who leased from H. C. Frick and paid Frick a royalty per ton of coal mined. The mine ran three shifts during World War II and the boom after the war. The business peaked around 1949 and I believe all activity ceased around 1953.

Dennis Byrne writes, I am 60, and I can still hear the zing of the cable as the hoist began to pull the little cars from deep within the mine to the surface; and I remember the weary look on the miners faces, but somehow, still displaying great personal strength in those faces.

I will put my Dad's, relatives and other miners names I remember on the memorial site. Thanks for reminding me.

Best regards and thanks for keeping those names alive.
Dennis Byrne

Marguerite was a great place to grow up.  Beautiful scenery.  All the neighbors were like your family.  My dad worked the coke yard, I remember the ash dumps, and flying what were supposed be kites and our feet sinking into the ashes.

We used to set up places for Red the Bum and the Pots and Pan man to spend the nite in the old abandon ovens. Hell we didnt have anything ourselves but we tried to help them all. I remember taking cigarettes down there for my dad. There was a man there called Edgeu not sure if that was his name, he used to smoke pall mall, funny little memories.

The lunch boxes were shiney oval shaped buckets.Sometimes we had to carry them down there to my dad.

Lots of memories more than just the mines and ovens but the whole town. I loved it there but wasnt any work there at the time. So we had to move on.

Thanks for building site. Is a nice tribute.
Ernie DeMarino

I grew up in Marguerite. My father, Michael DeMarino was a coal miner there. He died of Black Lung in 1988.

Marguerite was a safe place to live back in the 1950's and 60's. Our only social life was the St. Benedict Church and the firehall. Maybe once a year we would have a fair. This consisted of a parade by the fire companies. Other area fire companies would come to our town and show off their new trucks and ambulances;then the best truck, etc., would win a prize. Never knew what that prize was. (Ha).The only store in town was Porter's. People could buy bread, milk, etc. on tab...(called tick by most of the women).

It was an interesting place to live. We made our own fun. The kids mostly played baseball in the summer. After our chores we would gather and walk the three (3) streets and just talk.

We didn't watch much tv back then.

I think in our way we were safer. No drugs, limited alchol intake (but not around the girls and very little cursing mostly by the boys). Cigarette smoking was acceptable again mostly only by the guys. Girls who smoked were considered bad. ha.

Mothers stayed home with their children. Many people had large families back then. My parents had 15 children,Stewarts had 9 children, Johnson's had about 9, fetters about 6. All the people in the "Patch" struggled financially but people where nicer. They always pulled together to help each other no matter what the problem.

Miss the "Patch" often but especially my dad's porch. The neighbors would come over around 6 pm to visit with my parents. Sometimes my brothers and sisters would sit on the glider my mom had on the porch until 3/4 AM and just sing. Our neighbor Shirley Wallace would shout out her bedroom window for us to shut up and go to bed. Something like the "Waltons" on TV. Ha.

Hard life but a lot more laid back.

"Marguerite I Miss You"
Victoria DeMarino
East Hartford CT

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