Start your visit to this Pennsylvania attraction in the Visitor Center. Then, enjoy a tour of the historic structures of Eckley Village to learn about the village past and present. Be sure to stop by the Eckley Miner’s Village Gift Shop to find items unique to the living history museum.
Visitor Center
The Visitor Center, once the location of a six-room schoolhouse, features a 17-minute orientation film about the village and its history. In addition, the Visitor Center’s Exhibit Hall brings the hardships of the miner and his family to life through artifacts and static displays.
What You Will See during Your Tour of the Mining Village
Immaculate Conception Church
The Immaculate Conception Church was built to serve the Irish parishioners who lived in the village during the 1850s and 1860s. With its interior restored to its 1920’s appearance, the church features furnishings, artifacts, paintings and decorations typical of the time period.
Eckley Sports and Social Club
The Eckley Sports and Social Club was donated to the residents of Eckley in the 1940s for use as a social club. To this day, the club is active with many of its residents and local citizens participating in the club’s events.
Slate Pickers House
Three Slate Picker houses remain in Eckley. These small, three bedroom houses would have been occupied by Irish laborers when they first arrived in Eckley. The name of the houses is derived from the position frequently filled by young boys and disabled men who would have picked pieces of slate out of the coal in the breaker.
Laborers’ Dwelling
Laborers’ dwellings built in 1854 were double dwellings, each half of the dwelling housing as many as 15 people at a time. When they were first built, laborers’ dwellings were painted in red and black because these were inexpensive pigments.
Company Store
The original company store of Eckley, built in 1857, was demolished in the 1940s. Today Eckley is home to a company store built as a movie prop by Paramount Studios. Set up to look like an actual company store of the mid 19th century, the company store offers a unique look at the difference between the town’s company store and its privately owned counterparts.
St. James Episcopal Church
The St. James Episcopal Church, the original structure on the site, was removed in 1938 and replaced with the structure of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church from White Haven in 1974. Inside all items including the stained glass windows come from the White Haven Church, but all are appropriate for Eckley as the two churches were part of the same parish.
Mine Boss’s Home
As you move toward the west end of the village, buildings become larger. Mine Boss’s Homes were single family homes built to house the mine bosses and engineers. While the homes saw Welsh, English and Germans during their early years, the later years brought the Irish who worked their way from laborer to supervisor.
Mule and Feed Barns
While the mule and feed barns of the village are reconstructions built in 1988, they were built using original plans on approximately the same location. As you explore the barns learn how mules played a crucial role in the early days of mining.
Doctor’s Office
The first company doctor opened his practice in Eckley in 1874 and the last doctor left in 1920. Learn about the company doctors of Eckley from how they were paid, to how they were viewed by their private practice peers.
Sharp House
The Sharp House was built by Richard Sharp, founding Eckley partner, in 1861 to house his family while he oversaw the nearby mining operation. After Sharp’s lease on the colliery ended in the 1880s, the house was periodically used by the Cox family. The Sharp House has been restored to reflect its 1800s appearance and is used today to house exhibits for Eckley’s special events.
Eckley Miner’s Village Gift Shop
Eckley Miner’s Village Gift Shop, once the rectory for the Catholic Church, offers visitors a unique shopping experience. T-shirts, books, photographs, movies, mugs, coal car replicas and other merchandise unique to Eckley Miner’s Village are all available to purchase.
- While Eckley is a living history museum, it is still a residential community. It is important that guests respect property and privacy.
- Wheelchairs are available to check out from the Visitor Center on a first-come, first-served basis.