pennsylvania anthracite heritage museum

The Anthracite Heritage Museum is a large building located UPHILL and BEHIND the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. The Anthracite Museum is a separate attraction with a separate entrance fee; however a small discount is given if you go on the coal mine tour first. I would advise taking the coal mine tour first.(Note that both the Coal Mine Tour and the Anthracite Museum are located in a county park, and it is easy to miss the turn off since there is only a small sign below the large park entrance sign.) Children will most certainly be bored in the Anthracite Heritiage Museum, especially after the excitement of going down into a coal mine, but it is a real find for those who enjoy well-curated museums. The coal mine itself has a small, one room museum in a building separate from the ticketing area. It can be easily missed. If you want a short history with some nice artifacts, this is a better choice for those with children.It's worth pointing out that once we paid our admission, we mistakenly entered the exhibits through the wrong door, hence we seemed to be out of sequence to the events in the mining history. It was only after we were two-thirds of the way through that we realized our mistake, and by that time it didn't make sense to go back. That is something that the museum itself could easily correct with proper signage.My 8th grade great-niece was studying emigration at the time we visited this museum, and she was fascinated by the connection between the mining business and the immigrants that went through the Ellis Island processing port. Few people can tolerate my slow crawl through museums, but she was as interested as I was. As a retired college educator, I found the history of the International Correspondence School and its connection to the coal mining industry to be particularly interesting. Although sniveled at in the past, correspondence classes and certifications are truly the forerunners of online distance learning that is very much the trend for both public and private universities today. And it all started in 1890 with one course: Mine Safety Engineering. ICS went on to provide education for our military all over the world, and is still in business today.Within in the museum, there was a re-constructed Catholic church altar with pews and kneelers to demonstrate the workers' devotion to their faith. I sat down and immediately noticed the small clamps on the back of the pews in front of you that my father would always clip his fedora hat. Such a small detail to evoke a sweet memory. In addition to the coal mine industry, they covered the lace industry that provided factory work for women in the miners' family. I was in awe of the huge automated lace-making machine that was on display.We spent the better part of 3 hours here, and enjoyed talking to a museum worker afterwards about the impact World War II had on the work force of miners.

If you are into coal, this would be a good museum to go to. The museum did not have that many visible staff, but the ones we interacted with were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. There was a gallery devoted to an artist who specialized in painting and sculpting coal mine workers, who did a beautiful job. There was a cutaway of a typical coal miner's house, showing the kitchen and main bedroom, that was very interesting. There is a lot of information about all of the different countries and cultures that the coal miners came from. There is a display case of some interesting things made from coal, including beautiful jewelry. For the admission fee, if you are interested in coal, this is very worthwhile.

I really expected a well-meaning but modest exhibit of pickaxes, miners' helmets, miners' lunch pails, and some pictures, but this was so much more. The administrator led us through an hour-long tour , and I could have stayed even longer, taking pictures and examining the exhibits more carefully. Even though I grew up in this area and had grandfathers who had been anthracite miners, I learned so much more. The guide was interesting, informative, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but not a bit pedantic.I was impressed by the exhibits that recalled the life and times of the miners and their families. If you are at all interested in the history of this region, you've got to see this at least once. I do intend to go back. There is also a mine tour at the same park, so one can enjoy the whole experience.

I learned so much today that I hadn't considered for years about northeast pa. The people who run the tours really know their information and they're passionate to share the rich history and hard work that went into the mines. This is worth the trip, it's interesting for kids and adults alike. Wear a sweater and old shoes because it can be a little chilly and damp. I'm glad that I went!

This is a great museum you learn so much about thr coal in pa butthe place is set up so you learn and have fun

We are a family of 5 with 3 kids ages 8-almost 16. There was more to see here than we expected. There was a very impressive map of the area about 20 feet wide, showing all the mining tunnels. We found that the displays were somewhat biased towards the mine company owners, and seemed to tell much of the story in a way that made the experience of the miners not seem quite as difficult as we had read previously. We balanced our visit here with the coal mine tour and a trip to Eckley Miner’s Village.

Liked all the info on different ethnic groups that mined in Scranton; also gave info on women and children who worked in textile mills there. Lots of artifacts. A bit heavy on reading texts, but still interesting. Not particularly suitable for young children -- not much interactivity for them. But I loved it all the more!

I really enjoyed this museum. It shows not only the coal mining in the area, which it is noted for, but also mill work. Silk mills were as big a deal in this area as the mines were but the mines get most of the attention. White lung is just as common as black lung here.

The Museum is just a short walk out the back and up the hill of the Lackawana Coal Mine museum. There is a short film to watch first. Depending on how interested you are in mining or how curious you became, you can wander thru ths fascinating collection of mining and living at the mines for a couple of hours. Don't miss it.

Have been here several times with family and out of town guests and all have enjoyed it! Go to McDade Park which is part of the experience and fish, picnic, relax or just walk around.

Learned alot about the area and the innovation that was involved with the correspondence school in Scranton

This museum is right up the hill from the Lackawanna County Coal Tour, so I stopped in afterward doing that. If you show your receipt from the tour you get $1 off admission, so it's $6 for adults. It's small but it has great mining-related paraphernalia. I also enjoyed the exhibit on women's roles in town and the silk production stuff. The video was boring and I didn't stay for the whole thing. I'd recommend if you have extra time after the coal tour but it's probably not worth a separate trip.

Lots of information, displays and movie. Amazing photos and documentation. A 'step back in time' with the history.

The Anthracite Museum is a treasure trove of coal mining history! If you are visiting Scranton and have the time, definitely do not miss this along with the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. The museum has many railroad and coal mining maps, displays, and a first rate gift shop. The gift shop has many books and gifts from varied ethnic cultures that were prevalent in the coal mines. Also, there are a myriad of coal items for sale!

Scranton is built on anthracite coal - literally and figuratively, and perhaps on silk and lace as well. And the immigrants who worked in both fields. The men - and boys, worked the mines, and the women worked at companies like Scranton Lace. This museum tells part of their stories.