Diamond Colliery

The Diamond Colliery operation in Scranton is best described by the following timeline.

1851 – First drift opened
Construction of Diamond #1 breaker started. Located on a hillside between present day Mt. Vernon apartment complex, and Memorial stadium.
1852 – Diamond #1 breaker completed, Diamond #1 shaft completed, Tripp slope (located at North Eastern end of Mt. Vernon appt. complex) incorporated into Diamond colliery.
*Diamond shaft served the Diamond bed, Rock bed, Big bed, and the New County bed.
*Diamond slope/drift served the Five foot bed, and the Four foot bed.
1905 – Construction of modern Diamond breaker started (along side railroad tracks, between Linden St, and Scranton expressway) plus a new slope completed.
1907- Diamond #2 completed. Capacity was 2,000 tons per day.
1919 – Cauyuga, and Brisbin breakers closed (underground mining continued), coal processing transferred to Diamond complex.
1927 – Tripp slope closed.
1933 – Diamond #1 closed
*At this time it may be possible that Diamond #15 slope opened, to mine the Eight-foot bed, under Tripps Park/Hyde Park
1959 – Deep mining at Diamond colliery ended
1961 – Diamond discontinues water pumping (mine dewatering operations).
1962 – Diamond site strip mined, #15 slope robbing of pillars begins. Only 104 days worked in 1963
Diamond #15 slope closed
1963 – Diamond breaker operation curtailed.
1966 – Diamond breaker closes, breaker torn down.
1967 – Diamond slope is stabilized as part of the construction of the North Scranton expressway project. Construction of Mt. Vernon apartments started. Most traces of the Diamond colliery destroyed in the process.
1981 – Diamond air shaft filled (located next to the Cathedral cemetery near #15 slope) 363 ft. deep.
1979 to 1982 – Flushing project under Tripps Park to stabilize the former mining operations of Diamond colliery
1992 – Reconstruction/realignment of the North Scranton Expressway results in the Diamond drift being sealed.