Union High School - U Yearbook (Burgettstown, PA)

Page 10 text:

“I Owe My Soul to the Company Store” As the mining industry expanded, various mining companies had to provide housing for their employees. Therefore, a mining company would provide farmland in the area for this purpose. The land was plotted and company houses were built in long rows. Each home resembled the next, with the same general structure be- ing used for all homes. In the vicinity of the company houses there also was a company store where miners bought anything from soup to nuts. A popular song during the coal mining days entitled “I Owe My Soul to the Company Store reflected the days of depression. Remnants ot a company store still stand in Langeioth and Atlasburg. Seventy-six percent of the homes in the district were constructed prior to 1939. 6 Company Houses Then and Now-Many houses are remodeled but they still have the same general structure

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Coal Center of the World The greatest asset to the area was the dis- covery of a rich coal vein which triggered the in- dustrialization of the area. From the early 1800's to early 1900 s mining towns sprang up and flourished. Largest Mines in the Area were: Bulger Mine Francis Mine 1903 Cherry Valley Mine 1906-1910 Atlasburg Mine 191 Petnccas Strip Mine in the Cherry Valley area shows how modern equipment has improved mining methods Remnant of a coal tipple in Raccoon where coal was loaded sized, and crushed By 1917, the agricultural community became the leading Bituminous Coal Center of the World. Coal was the primary influence in the growth of the area. In a sense coal led to bigger and better things.

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Industrial Development Continues Coal mining, although the largest in- dustry, was not the only source of income for the area. Other industries included meat packing, dairy products, machine shops, grain mills, and saw mills. The establishment of the American Zinc and Chemical Plant in Langeloth in 1912 provided a population increase. Com- pany houses became larger and more complex and other businesses were in- troduced. Following the closing of the American Chemical and Zinc Plant, AMAX built the Climax Molybdenum Company. Today this is the one major industry which keeps the area thriving. Sutherland Sawmill 7 Molybdenum Conversion-a backyard industry.