|
|
|
|
| Old Colony, Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland
Co, PA [A Coal Company Patch town in Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania.] [Located on the Ligonier Valley Railroad, Mill Creek Branch, Old Colony branch.] [ca.2001, The former coal company patch town of Old Colony is now a coal mining Ghost Town, located in a strip mined area of Ligonier Twp. Nothing remains of the town of Old Colony. The mine area is on the grounds of the Old Colony Sportsmans Club. A few remains of the coke ovens are said to exist.] See: Old Colony No. 1 Mine & Coke Works, Old Colony, Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA Old Colony No. 2 Mine, Old Colony, Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
Old Colony Coal & Coke Company,
Old Colony No. 1 Mine & Coke Works
(ca. ? ),
Old Colony No. 2 Mine (ca.
? ), |
 |
| A portion of the U.S.G.S. 15 min. New Florence,
PA Quad map ca.1922, showing the Ligonier Valley Railroad Wilpen Branch and
the spur line that served the Old Colony Mines and Coke Works, at Old Colony,
Ligonier Township, Westmoreland Co., PA (Map courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C.) |
| DESCRIPTION: There are no mine buildings or houses remaining from the Old Colony Coal Company Patch. Remnants of the Old Colony Ligonier Railroad spur line that served the mine and coke works can still be seen at various spots. Ruins of the coke ovens were still on the site ca.2007. |
| HISTORY: A lettter from Edward J. McDowell, ca.1922
Old Colony Mine I have an easy job now. I am watchman at Old Colony switch. I did not get my ride last Sunday as I had to work. Somebody put a stick of Dynamite under a porch at Old Colony and I had to go out and help repair the house. The next Night, the same men came in and the watchman shot at him 22 times and missed every time, some shooting! April 30, 1922 There was another house blow up at Wilpen last night. This is a very serious time for the people of Ligonier Valley. Father is worried very much now. He spends nearly all the time at the mine. He was home two nights this week and all the other time he spent at Old Colony. There is only one thing I like about my job and that is the money. It pays well but I never knew 8 1/2 hours was so long before. May 23, 1922 Everythong is quite out here now. Yesterday the State Police mad a raid on Fort Palmer and arrested about 20 men. They had them in the lockup last night and Father went down to see what the police found. He said that the police had taken all kinds of guns, dynamite, knives and even a large still from those men. I think those foreigners need a little Christian Religion preached at them. I made an awful mistake last Sunday. An old lady came here in the morning and wanted to go to Old Colony so I let her go. The next day two families moved away and them I found that this old lady was a strike agitator. That was a lesson to me and now no one is going to pass. I just had an awful experience. I was sittig o a bench in the little house here where I watch and writing to you when I happened to look down at the floor and there I saw a big snake. My but it scared me. I shot at it three times and the last time I got it. (Courtesy of Rebecca Edmondson.) |
 |
| Building the Tipple at the Old Colony Mine & Coke
Works, Old Colony, Ligonier Township, Westmoreland Co., PA (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
 |
| An undated photo of some of the Miners, Mule Drivers and
Coke Workers at the Old Colony Mine & Coke Works, Old Colony, Ligonier
Township, Westmoreland Co., PA The dinky engine was used to haul the
coal from the mine to the tipple. (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
 |
| The Old Colony Mine tipple and dinky engine in the background
and the tipple drew at the Old Colony Mine, Old Coloy, Ligonier Twp.,
Westmoreland Co., PA (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
 |
| Old Colony Mine Tipple, Old Colony, Ligonier Twp.,
Westmoreland Co., PA (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
 |
| A miner at the Old Colony Mine Shop, Old Colony, Ligonier
Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
 |
| A miner at the portal of one of the mines at Old Colony,
Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland Co. PA (Photo courtesy of the Collections of the Pennsylvania Room, Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier, PA.) |
| Coal Miners
Memorial Old Colony Mines & Coke Works, Old Colony, Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA
|
| To Select another Index to Westmoreland County Coal Mines Click on the Larry cars for Index Page or on a Letter below |
 |
| Select another Index to the Coal Mines
of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania [Click on a letter to take you to that Index]
|
| Return to the Main County Index for Southwestern Pennsylvania Coal Mines |
| Local History
Sites Links to other coal mining sites |
Reference Sources for Southwestern Pennsylvania Coal Mines | The New Message Boards have not worked, Use our guestbook. Email the Editor. | Have
information to add on Westmoreland County Coal Mines? E-Mail the Editor |
|
View the "Old Miner's" Guestbook |
Let the Old Miner know you've been here. Sign the "Old Miner's" Guestbook |
 FastCounter by LinkExchange |
If you have additional information or pictures on the Coal
Mines of Westmoreland County, PA Contact: Ray Washlaski, Editor Copyright 2005, All rights reserved, by Raymond A. Washlaski, Ryan P. Washlaski & The 20th Century Society of Western Pennsylvania. Web site Design by "Mercers, an Undertakers" Web Design Company |
