6—Theflighaeres Collegian
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Episcopal Church
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(1859)
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Miner's home
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Historic
Photograp
Eckley is one of hundreds of mininc
"patches" developed in the anthracite regio
nineteenth century.
In 1854, Sharpe, Weiss and Company
from the Tench Coxe estate and began II
Council Ridge Colliery and the village of
village, built near the colliery where the coa
and processed, provided housing for the rnin
families Its stores, schools and churches
economic, social and religious needs of th
also gave the company greater control over
the miners.
After, 1874,-when Sharpe and VVeiss's'le
the Coxes either operated the colliery th
leased it and Eckley to other coal companies
Coke estate sold its holdings, including Eckk
Huss. The village was separated from
interests in 1969 when Huss sold Ecl
Anthracite Historic Site Museum, Inc., a grot
Hazleton Area businessmen; they, in turn,
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In
Beltrami acquired the land around Eckl
continued to mine the coal first exploitec
Weiss and Company.
During this period other changes took ph
Eckley passed successive waves of irnmigl
economic opportunities and religious
freedom. English, Welsh and German J
supplemented by Irish and then southern
Europeans. These formed an ethnic rn
throughout the anthracite region.
At the same time, strip mining, beg'
gradually replaced underground mining. Thi
Eckley and part of the village were stripo
work force at the colliery and the populati
which numbered fifteen hundred peop
declined. By 1970, only a hundred people
Council Ridge Colliery has disappeared bi
on. A company town until its acquisi
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comm
preserves a way of life which dominated i
region for over 140 years.
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Dominic
A brief history