Hartford Colliery (Later North Star)

The Hartford Colliery was located south of Mahanoy City Borough on the south side of the Mahanoy Creek.

The colliery was opened by a tunnel driven south 160 ft. to the north dip buck mountain vein by Thomas Gorman and Son in 1859 and they mined for local consumption until 1863.

In 1863, Bordman, Rataburn and Phillips purchased the colliery and made improvements that increased the shipments from 1073 tons in 1863 to 21,845 tons in 1864 when they shipped by a railroad then completed to the colliery. They continued operating to 1865 when succeeded by William F. Patterson and Company who operated as "The Hartford Coal Association" to 1870 when they became involved in financial troubles and suspended operations.

In 1870, Henry Eshelman and William F. Patterson leased the colliery spending $25,000 in improvements and operated it under the new name of "The North Star Colliery". In 1871, they tunneled 340 ft. south to the mammoth vein and mined several veins cut in the tunnels to 1874 when they failed. The gangways at that time had advanced a total distance of 10,000 ft.

In 1874, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. (P&R C&I Co.) took possession of the colliery and after making improvements and repairs and driving a tunnel 975 ft. south across the basin to the mammoth and buck mountain veins, leased the colliery to Richard Phillips and Company. The new company extended the improvements in 1875 by driving a tunnel south to the skidmore vein and continued the operation until 1877.

In 1877, Reynolds Robert and Company succeeded in operating and in 1880, their works were driven into the tunnel ridge colliery workings. The mining continued until 1884 when the colliery was abandoned.

The total shipments from Hartford Colliery were 328,135 tons.