Was It Really a “Rebellion”?
“My brother had a coal hole, on the Reading ground. They blew his hole shut. That was it! Things got rough then… They had to let the people make a… Read More »Was It Really a “Rebellion”?
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Book Extras & Blog
Book Excerpt 🧨 Pure Audacity
I want to share a short except from the book of one of the most brazen actions the bootleggers took–aside from seizing company lands in the first place, that is.… Read More »Book Excerpt 🧨 Pure Audacity
Portraits
All the following are unpublished photographs of bootleg miners taken by TimesLife magazine in October, 1937.
Q&A with the Battle of Homestead 🎬
On June 23rd, I talked about the book with the Battle of Homestead Foundation. Here’s the full video. Two corrections: I referred to David A. Lucas but accidentally called him… Read More »Q&A with the Battle of Homestead 🎬
The Equalization Movement
One winter, when work was scarce, one Panther Valley coal mine worked full-time for what felt like weeks on end. Rather than celebrate their good fortune, they went on strike.… Read More »The Equalization Movement
Munitions in Industrial Warfare
How far were the companies willing to go to stop the miners? Chemical weapons.
All That Stolen Dynamite
The old saying, “stole everything that wasn’t nailed down” didn’t apply to the bootleggers. When bootleg started big, man they robbed everything, nailed down or not. Leaders–whether union, bootleg, church,… Read More »All That Stolen Dynamite
Everything is Green Now — Anthracite Unite
Bitcoin mining at local power plants is not what we need. A current-events piece I wrote for Anthracite Unite. Everything is Green Now — Anthracite Unite
Bootleg Mine Map of Northumberland County (1937)
In 1937, the state government created a commission to study bootleg coal. They launched an extensive survey to map out bootleg coal operations in Schuylkill and Northumberland counties, using airplane… Read More »Bootleg Mine Map of Northumberland County (1937)
Bootleg Mine Map of Schuylkill County (1937)
A 1937 government commission used an airplane and team of unemployed miners to map the coal holes of Schuylkill County.