The Glendower Colliery

Located on the south side of the Heckscherville Valley between Glen Carbon and Mt. Pleasant, Schuylkill County, Penna.

The original opening was a water level tunnel driven 110 ft. south to the north dip top split of the mammoth vein by Thomas E. Schollenberger in 1856 from which 2000 ft. of gangway was driven westward when abandoned.

In 1860, Schollenberger sunk the slope to the first level on the north dip split vein and mined the slope gangways until 1869.

In 1869, he sank two slopes 1300 ft. west of the old slope 900 ft. deep. one was for hoisting coal and the other, 75 ft. east, for a tender slope on which was erected a powerful bull pump.

From the foot of the hoisting slope, tunnels were driven 290 ft. south to the bottom split mammoth vein and 240 ft. north across the basin to the south dip of the slope vein. The total costs of these improvements was $300,000.

Schollenberger operated the newly developed colliery until 1873, when it was purchased by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. (P&R C&I Co.), who continued to mine but were restricted on the south dip split due to the large bodies of water in the taylorsville and monteray colliery workings. As the north dip top split gangway advanced westward in the basin, anxiety was felt as to the extent of the monteray workings.

In 1880, two water holes were driven to tap the monteray water and in 1882, the company removed the water from the Tayorsville Colliery, which allowed the mining to continue on both dips of the basin.

In 1883, a railroad was built to transport the Taylorsville coal to the Richardson Breaker for preparation, but after the completion of the railroad grading, it was abandoned and the colliery remained idle for sometime.

In 1889, the Glendower and Taylorsville collieries were operating as one unit, and the company built a new breaker. Coal shutes were erected at the glendower and taylorsville slopes and a railroad was constructed to connect the chutes with the new breaker.

In 1895, a new pump slope was sunk 900 ft. on the "lelar"(middle split) vein to replace the old tender slope.

In 1898, a slope was sunk 290 ft. on the north dip of the buck mountain vein and connected with the tayorsville chute by a railroad about a half mile in length. The two collieries were operated as one until about 1909 when the old north dip slope was closed and the Glendower Breaker was abandoned. The remaining coal was mined from the taylorsville south dip slope.

In 1912, the P&R C&I Co. drove a water level tunnel 250 ft. south in the peaked mountain to the north dip bottom split vein and in 1915 extended the tunnel to the buck mountain vein.

In 1915, the Glendower Colliery was exhausted and abandoned for Taylors- ville Colliery. Mining at the Taylorsville Colliery continued until 1933 when abandoned.

Total shipments of coal from Glendower Colliery was 5,609,110 tons.