Windber
Windber, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Founded 1897 by the Berwind-White Coal Mining Co. Distinctive among bituminous coal towns, this community had a large independent center surrounded by 13 "patch towns." Among notable structures built by Berwind-White were the Wilmore Building here (1914) and Arcadia Theatre across the street (1919). Thousands of immigrants came here to work the mines; largest in output was Eureka Mine #40, 2 miles NW. Company mining ceased, 1962
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded in 1897 by the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company, Windber was a company town unlike most — a substantial independent center ringed by thirteen smaller 'patch towns' housing the miners. The company built landmarks like the 1914 Wilmore Building and the 1919 Arcadia Theatre, while thousands of immigrants poured in to work the bituminous seams, the largest output coming from Eureka Mine No. 40. Company mining here ended in 1962.
Why it matters
Windber is a vivid case study of the company town and the immigrant labor that dug the coal behind America's industrial age, preserving the shape of a vanished way of working and living.
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