Legacy of Coal: The Coal Company Towns of Southwestern Pennsylvania

摘要

The study was originally designed to identify the salient physical characteristics of coal company towns in southwestern Pennsylvania, but in the course of investigation, it became apparent that these communities have much more in common than just architecture and planning. As a result, the report addresses a wide range of subjects pertaining to coal towns, such as labor relations, ethnicity, and lifestyle. The information is presented in three parts. Part I includes a brief explanation of the history of industrial housing in the United States and an introduction to American coal towns. Part II contains five chapters of which three provide detailed information on Star Junction, Windber and Colver, respectively. These include histories of the companies and a discussion of each town's planning and development, architecture, ethnicity, and labor relations. Part II also contains a brief summary of the three towns and a discussion of occupational status, mobility and housing. Part III examines regional differences in miners' housing in order to establish a geographical context for the Pennsylvania miners' dwelling.