Images of Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour
Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour and its collection
Source
The Lackawanna Coal Mine, located in McDade Park in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is a museum and retired coal mine. It was opened in 1903 and offers visitors a unique insight into the history and workings of a coal mine. The mine was operational for more than half a century before it was closed and later converted into a museum.
Conversion to a Museum
In 1978, the Lackawanna Coal Mine was converted into a museum with the support of $2.5 million in U.S. federal government funding. The restoration process included the removal of debris, laying of tracks to enable a mine car to carry visitors into the mine, installation of electricity for lights, and reinforcement of the mine's shafts with steel buttresses to improve safety. The museum was officially opened to the public in 1985.
Experience the Underground Mine
The Lackawanna Coal Mine aims to give visitors a sense of what it was like to work in an underground mine. Tours are led by former miners or their descendants. Visitors board a mine car and descend the #190 slope, about 250 ft (76 m) below ground, into the Clark Vein of coal. The tour then proceeds on foot through several twisting veins of the abandoned mine, providing a unique and immersive experience.
Science & Technology History & Anthropology Industrial heritage