The Forestville Colliery was located on the west West Creek in the Village of Forestville.
The
colliery was opened by a water level tunnel driven north to the south dip bottom
split of the mammoth vein by the Forest Improvement Company and was leased by
a Mr. Harris in 1842. He mined the vein to 1844 when he failed and Thomas Petherick
was assigned the lease. He continued the operation and in 1846, opened a drift
to the north at a higher elevation, but on the same vein as the harris tunnel.
He operated both mines until 1850.
In 1850, David Glover, Charles Heckscher and Company, who had large interests in the Forest Improvement Company's lands, lease the Petherick Mines and sunk the forestville slope 411 ft. to the first level, driving gangways 3600 ft. east and 4500 ft. west.
In 1860, the company's name changed to Heckscher and Company. They extended the slope to lower levels and opened 3 drifts above water level and all were driven 4000 ft. west.
Heckscher and Company continued operating to 1864. The Forest Improvement Co., under its charter, was confined to opening and preparing for use and occupation coal mines on its land but the company was prohibited from mining coal.
On April 29, 1864 they changed their name to the Union Improvement Company, but after the name was changed it was discovered that another coal company had incorporated using this name. On August 3, 1864 they changed the name of the Union Improvement Co. to the New York and Schuylkill Coal Company with the privilege of mining and shipping coal from their lands.
In 1864, the New York and Schuylkill Coal Co. (Charles Heckscher, President) began operating the Forestville Colliery, they sunk the slope to the bottom level, a total distance of 900 ft. and they operated it to 1868 when the colliery was sold at sheriff's sale.
In 1868, E. T. Quilitch, an engineer for the company operated the colliery as agent for a short time when Daniel Hock and Company came in possession and operated the colliery to 1875 when the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. (P&R C&I Co.) purchased the lands of the New York & Schuylkill Coal Co.
The P&R C&I Co. operated the colliery to 1880 when they suspended operations.
In 1880-81 General J. K. Seigfried leased the colliery and drove a short tunnel to the black vein and mined it until 1891 when it reached its boundaries and the colliery was abandoned and allowed to fill with water.
In 1899, the Pennsylvania Coal Company, who operated the Lytle Colliery, pumped out the water and used the slope only as an outlet to the surface.
The total shipments from the Forestville Colliery were 1,001,915 tons.