This tunnel was originally driven by the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. as part of the Oak Hill Colliery. It is known as the Oak Hill No.1 Tunnel, or the Pine Knot Drainage Tunnel. After the mine was worked out, a 3000 foot rock tunnel was driven trough the mountain to intersect the second level of the Pine Knot Colliery. Its main purpose then was to keep the mine pool down in order to strip mine above without the pits filling with water. Then tunnel was re-timbered in the early 90’s and still remains an active drainage tunnel for Reading Anthracite’s strip mines in the area. Extensive damage was done to the timbering in the tunnel during the flood of 2006, and its condition past the first timber set inside is unknown by us. We had the opportunity to research and document this mine before that time.
Photos of the colliery and coal pockets, Eric Bella collection.
1927 builders photos from Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre, showing the Oak Hill shaft hoist being manufactured, Eric Bella collection.
1982 photos showing the shaft being capped, Eric Bella collection.
Old photos from the Oak Hill Tunnel, taken while UGM was working with Reading Anthracite.
Lorree cars used at the colliery to move waste rock from the breaker to the culm pile.
