Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows two men shoveling coal into minecarts at the Blue Bell Mine near Strasburg, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. A note on the reverse of the photograph reads "Close up surface coal mining. Blue Bell mine near Strasburg. S. H. Green. West High Ave., New Phila, N.K." The first European settlers recognized the value in Ohio's natural coal resources and in 1837 the first Geological Survey of Ohio studied the mineral resources of the state, especially coal. Ohio's canal system allowed for easy coal transportation for mining, and by the mid 1800s railroads and more advanced mining technologies advanced coal mining output in Ohio. Eventually, coal became the primary source of energy for electricity and fueled the many steel mills in the upper Ohio River Valley. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F02_030_001
Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Ohio; Coal miners; Charcoal industry--Ohio; Blue Bell Mining Company; Photography--Ohio
Places: Strasburg (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Close view of coal miners engaged in surface mining at the Blue Bell Coal Mine near Strasburg, Ohio, ca. 1930-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F02_001_001
Subjects: Surface mining; Coal mines and mining--Ohio--History
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: The 1877 model of the Lechner air mining machine revolutionized the coal mining industry. This image measures 8.5" by 11" (21.59 by 27.94 cm). In the 1870s, coal mining was slow and dangerous work. In a typical 12-hour day, productivity was only two tons per man. Much of the labor involved under-cutting--a miner had to lie on his side while digging a 6-inch-thick cut 4 feet deep across a 10-to-20-foot wide face. In 1876, a Columbus man, Francis Lechner, designed a chain-driven, air-powered machine that could undercut the coal mechanically, increasing daily productivity by one ton of coal per man. Lechner teamed up with Joseph Andrew Jeffrey and formed the Lechner Mining Machine Company in 1877. The Lechner coal-cutting machine eventually became a standard for the coal industry. The Columbus-based business, which in 1887 became known as the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, was one of the city's most successful and long-lasting firms of the 20th century. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1479_1149139_001
Subjects: Business and labor; Science and Technology; Natural resources; Coal mines and mining; Machinery
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Two 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm) photographs document coal mining at the Sunday Creek Coal Mine Number 9 in Hocking County, Ohio. Organized in 1905, the Sunday Creek Coal Company operated dozens of mines in southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. Sunday Creek Coal Mine #6 in Millfield, Ohio was the site of one of the worst mining disasters in Ohio's history. On November 5, 1930, a buildup of methane gas exploded when the trolley the miners used to carry coal out of the mine produced a spark on the track. Eighty-two men were killed. Following the explosion, the mine closed for about a month. It reopened and operated until 1945. Tougher safety regulations were instituted in 1931 as a result of the Sunday Creek Coal Mine disaster. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3093_3735472_001
Subjects: Natural resources; Business and labor; Coal mines and mining; Coal;
Places: Hocking County (Ohio)
 

Description: A creek running along side a coal mining site in Athens County. Coal mining was once a major part of the economy of Athens County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06846
Subjects: Streams; Coal mines and mining
Places: Athens (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)
 

Description: Handwritten on reverse: "Strip coal mining. Apex, O. Largest shovel in World in background. Photo by Miller and Son, 436 Market Street, Steubenville, Ohio." This photograph is most likely of The Apex Coal Company. A similar photograph is shown in The Ohio Guide and the words "Industrial Coal ???" appear on the vehicle that is in the background of this photograph. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F06_054_001
Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Ohio
Places: Apex (Ohio); Harrison County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph depicts two adolescent or pre-teen boys with a Jeffery Manufacturing model 28A mining machine, ca. 1890-1910. The mining machine was used to undercut seams of coal, to allow for expansion after the coal seam was broken apart with explosives; at the time of its invention, this was the most time-intensive part of mining coal. Jeffery Manufacturing was located in downtown Columbus, near the intersection of Fourth St. and First Ave.; today, that site is occupied by the Ohioana Library and the State Library of Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05155
Subjects: Coal mines and mining; Jeffrey Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Ohio); Teenagers;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph depicts two adolescent or pre-teen boys with a Jeffery Manufacturing model 28A mining machine, ca. 1890-1910. The mining machine was used to undercut seams of coal, to allow for expansion after the coal seam was broken apart with explosives; at the time of its invention, this was the most time-intensive part of mining coal. Jeffery Manufacturing was located in downtown Columbus, near the intersection of Fourth St. and First Ave. Today, that site is occupied by the Ohioana Library and the State Library of Ohio, as well as a luxury housing space known as "the Jeffrey." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05156
Subjects: Coal mines and mining; Jeffrey Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Ohio); Teenagers;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph depicts two adolescent or pre-teen boys with a Jeffery Manufacturing model 28A mining machine, ca. 1890-1910. The mining machine was used to undercut seams of coal, to allow for expansion after the coal seam was broken apart with explosives; at the time of its invention, this was the most time-intensive part of mining coal. Jeffery Manufacturing was located in downtown Columbus, near the intersection of Fourth St. and First Ave. Today, that site is occupied by the Ohioana Library and the State Library of Ohio, as well as a luxury housing space known as "the Jeffrey." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05157
Subjects: Coal mines and mining; Jeffrey Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Ohio); Teenagers;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: A photograph of an employee of the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company in Columbus, Ohio, posing beside a mine ventilation fan manufactured by the company. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, also known as the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, was established in 1876 as the Lechner Mining Machine Company in Columbus, Ohio by Joseph Jeffrey and Francis Lechner. The company was the number one manufacturer of coal mining machinery worldwide until the mid-twentieth century. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00927
Subjects: Mining machinery; Coal mines and mining; Inventions; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Inventors--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Laborer operating a piece of Jeffrey mining equipment loaded with barrels. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, also known as the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, was established in 1876 as the Lechner Mining Machine Company in Columbus, Ohio, by Joseph Jeffrey and Francis Lechner. The company was the world’s leading producer of mining, conveying, and heavy industrial equipment for nearly 100 years. Jeffrey designed material handling products for a wide variety of uses, such as coal mining, farming, amusement park rides, earth-moving, lumber mills, and food processing, the use of which reduced handling costs, increased production, and decreased hard physical labor. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P251_B39F03_4794
Subjects: Jeffrey Manufacturing Company (Columbus, Ohio); Coal mines and mining; Laborers;
 

Description: A building at the site of a coal mine in Athens County. Coal mining was once a major part of the economy in Athens County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06847
Subjects: Coal mines and mining
Places: Athens (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)