Eckley Miner's Village Spotlight

Camille 16

The University of Maryland Archaeological Field School, directed by Dr. Paul Shackel and Camille Westmont,is holding its fourth year of excavations at Eckley Miner’s Village, located in Weatherly, Pennsylvania. Eckley is a coal company town dating to 1854 and is currently administered by the Pennsylvania Museum and Historic Commission. This summer the crew, which includes students and volunteers, is focusing on a row of houses known as the ‘slate picker’s’ houses. These houses were torn down in the 1950s or 1960s, but several of their foundations remain. Excavating around these foundation will increase the knowledge about patch town life in general and the experiences of the poorest paid coal mine employees in particular. Excavations run from June 2nd until July 10th.

The Eckely’s Miner Village field school has attracted several local media outlets which have featured Dr. Paul Shackel and Camille Westmont to discuss their findings at the site.

The news story have been highlighting the contributions of archaeologists in telling a complete story of the people who used to live there by examining the material culture. They underline using archaeology as a method to understand the life stories of earlier immigrants and miners, particularly in instances where no written records exist. As mentioned in several of the articles, archeological remains can indicate a vast amount of details about the roots of the coal industry. 

Find the list of news stories that have featured the Eckely’s Miner Village below:

To find out more information about the Eckley Miner's Village, visit the Lattimer Archaeology Project and Anthracite Heritage Program. 

 

 

 

 

Published on Tue, 06/16/2015 - 13:53