Union High School - U Yearbook (Burgettstown, PA)

Page 9 text:

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 Revolution in Burgettstown Prior to the 1800's, the Burgettstown Area, like much of Western Pennsylvania, was noted strictly as an agricultural center. However progress did not bypass the area. During the Civil War, farmers discovered oil on their land. Eventually immigrants settled here to seek employment and a home. For instance, a group of employees who worked for R. G. Gillespie, a noted oil king, built homes in a small cluster and called their village Gillespie City. To- day the general vicinity is Atlasburg. Many other towns of the area developed as a result of the oil industry. Oil remnants of the past still stand in the Racoon area An oil derrick not only provides an architectural design but an artistic photograph. An oil derrick is not an uncommon sight in the Burgettstown Area The four-sided steel tower provided a source of income for many residents. Even oil doesn't last forever, so eventually the wells ran dry leaving drilling crews unemployed. This did not lead to the downfall of industrial development since there still was another resource present. Progress replaces the oil derrick with the grasshopper' which still pumps oil in Langeloth 4

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“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