Hotel Hickman, Hickman, PA, 1896.
Edward Webster, Proprietor.
Hotel Hickman Tavern, Hickman, PA, 1896.
Edward Webster, Proprietor, behind the bar.
L to R: unknown customer, Joseph Hickman, Jr.,for whom the town was named, and Hugh Brown, a local farmer and coal operator.
Forgotten Mines and Coal Towns
of Thoms Run
The southwestern PA coal rush, beginning in 1880, attracted thousands of people, many from abroad. Coal was king and Collier Township was beginning to blossom with people and commerce like it had never seen before. Mines sprung up, as did businesses, company houses, company stores, and a railway to support them.
Between Oakdale and Presto, four coal towns were built, and three generations were raised in these towns. Beechmont, Hickman, Federal, and Burdine became busy villages. The fast-paced industrialization of our country was driving the demand for steel, and the coal industry responded equally fast. Coal prices were rising as were mining and railroad investments.
The steel boom of WW I continued after the war to support subsequent urban and industrial development across the U.S until the Great Depression struck in 1929. The economy declined dramatically. The appetite for coal dwindled and the price for coal plummeted.
Mine offices were locked, and owners just abandoned their mines and equipment, some even leaving coal-filled cars in the mines. Employees were released, and records were destroyed. The mines and towns went silent. The 49-year coal bubble burst!
Recording the mine and town histories wasn’t deemed important. Few photographs were taken. Most of the artifacts can no longer be seen. Rails are gone, and portals caved in and overgrown. This book preserves the almost forgotten history of the Thoms Run mines and towns, that created the foundation for Collier Township.
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Graphics by Ken Kuzia