Jonathan Cohen's photos with the keyword: coal

Born in Silver Creek, Pennsylvania, in 1910 Jack Savatsky was well known for his bright and colorful depictions of life in and around the hard-coal regions of Lansford, Pennsylvania. He drew with a variety of materials and painted in oils on all kinds of surfaces (in this case on fiberboard). Many folk artists get their start late in life as a way to keep themselves occupied after retirement. They bring rich memories and personal views of the world to their subjects. In this painting, Savitsky shows a train bringing workers to the mines of Silver Creek, the "coal town" in Pennsylvania where he grew up. He worked in the mines for more than thirty-five years before health issues forced him to retire in 1959. He died in Coaldale, Pennsylvania in1991.

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On December 6, 1962, 460 feet directly beneath this site, 37 miners lost their lives in the U.S. Steel Robena Mine's Frosty Run Explosion - one of the worst mine disasters in Greene County history.