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INDUSTRY

Courtesy of the
Museum
of Anthracite Mining
The anthracite deposits located in the Wyoming Valley Region provided
much of the industrialization and urban development throughout the area.
The region was shaped by this development and much of the future technology
was created to further enable the movement of anthracite over the vast
and rugged region.

Completion of the railroad systems became a key component to transport
the anthracite coal to the Lehigh Canal and on to the market. The region
is now crisscrossed with largely abandoned anthracite lines.

Pictured here is the Huber Breaker in Ashley, Pa.
The Huber Breaker (above) stands as the largest coal breaker ever built.
It operated from 1937-1974. Coal breakers were often targeted by workers
who felt they were being treated unfairly by the industry executives, particularly
the Molly Maguires. The rationale
behind the attacks by the Molly Maguires was to halt the productivity of
these enormous breakers. Without them, the coal could not be
processed, loaded, and shipped to the world, affecting the industry's
progression. Efforts are now being made to preserve and interpret
the site.
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