Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour

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The Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour is Located In McDade Park. The Park has many activities for everyone and there is no admission fee to the park. For information about the park and the available activities call: 1-570-963-6764.

This coal mine originally opened in 1860 as an anthracite coal mine. (Anthracite=Hard Coal) Now visitors can take a tour of the mine and go 300 feet below the surface. The mine is a constant 50 degrees year round. Parking is free.

Scranton was once called the "Anthracite Capital of the World". The largest vein of anthracite coal in the world is under the Lackawanna Valley. There is still millions of tons of coal in the ground. Many mines used mules to pull the coal cars in and out of the mines and most mining companies valued the mules over that of mine laborers. Around 1964, the Government passed laws as to the use of animals in mines. Approx. 15'000 children under 16 years of age worked as miners, most worked 10 hours a day. Some mines used children as young as 12 years old and sometimes even as young as 7. Many died in mines. Many anthracite coal regions of Pa. have had mine fires through the years and one is still burning under the town of Centralia, Pa. This fire could be extinguished by being strip mined but some residents won't accept the Government buyout. Call for mine tour information @ 1-570-963-mine.

There is also the Heritage Anthracite museum at McDade Park and information about the museum is @ 1-800-238-7245, or 570-963-6463.

The coal mine industry has a lot of history which is very interesting and I believe everyone should take this tour or another similar tour and you will learn things that will open your eyes to what hard and dangerous lives coal miners and their famalies had. I hope everyone finds this industry as interesting as I have and plan to visit this mine in the future.