Minersville Coke Ovens

In the southern part of Huntington county between the small towns of Coalmont and Dudley, there is a set of coke ovens and remnants of a mining operation. Minersville was founded in 1875 and quickly burnt out like so many others of it's era. Only part of this historic area is accessible via State Game Lands, the other part is noticeably posted as private land.

We parked our car and set out to explore the area. The Michell and Beehive ovens were easily seen even with mother nature reclaiming them. Some of the ovens were fallen in, but most were still in decent shape. At one time over 150 ovens were in operation. Upon closer observation we found a few foundations to buildings. From the road we could see the remains of a tipple and concrete structures; however, the land they are on is posted.

Heading east from Coalmont along Route 913 about one mile the road leading to the State Game Lands and Minersville is not marked and is simply a right turn onto a dirt road that leads to a bridge over Shoup Run. Please be mindful of the private property.

Scotia Barrens & The Black Ghost

Remnants of The ghost town Scotia

In Centre County, North-west of State College, there is an area known to the locals as the Scotia Barrens. The barrens are now included in State Game Land 176. Many trails are open to hikers, biking, and hunters. A public shooting range is also located right in the middle of the game lands. The Scotia Barrens is unique to the rest of Central Pennsylvania. Due to its location and geographical constructions, The Barrens has it’s own “micro-climate” where it is generally cooler than its surrounding areas by as much as 10-30 degrees. 

At one time the Soctia Barrens was not so barren and just known as the town of Scotia. The town was named after Angrew Carnegie’s homeland of Scotland and he saw promise with the mineral rich area and set up mining. In the 1800s Scotia was a booming mining town and had all the infrastructure many towns today have including a school, store and even a baseball team. Unfortunately the iron in the area depleted fast and the town met a pretty quick demise. The old road that leads through the Scotia Barrens was once the Railroad. Only a few foundations remain and a few remnants of the Iron Industry.

Besides the Barrens unique climate, it is also home to an equally fascinating ghost story. When Scotia was still a mining town, an African-American by the name of Bert Delige was walking home drunk one October night. Bert had been upset about wages he was owed by his recently deceased boss John Baudis for some time and was seen drunk many nights and had found himself frequently having run-ins with the law. That October night however, he ran into the widow Hulda Baudis. Bert argued with the 51-year-old woman about the back wages and the situation escalated. Bert assaulted Mrs. Baudis and then murdered her by cutting her throat with a razor. Bert Delige would later confess to the murder and was the last man hanged in the Bellefonte Jail yard on April 25^th of 1918. The body of Bert was later laid to rest outside of the Negro cemetery near present-day Marysville in non-hallowed ground.

Multiple sightings of a “black” ghost have been seen in the Scotia Barrens and along the road at night. In the 1980’s a local hunter had spotted the apparition near nightfall on April 25^th. Unknowingly the hunter told some of the locals and was told the story of Bert and how he was hung on April 25^th. Since that times other hikers, hunters, and motorists have witness the dark black figure lurking in the Barrens. The resting place of Bert Delige is lost to only those who know where to look. The stone marking his grave has been gone for some time.

Ghost Town : Concrete City

     A little drive south-west from Wilkes-Barre PA is the town of Nanticoke. South from there is a novel display of the coal industries innovation and grandeur in the early 20^th centery. The Delaware, Lackwanna, and Western Railroad (DL&W) built a whole town out of concrete to house the coal

miners of the near by colliery. At that time nearly 34% of people lived in some sort of housing owned by the companies they were employed at. Company housing was usually very basic and almost primitive. However, the DL&W had a plan to build modest housing for the minors but keep the building expenses low. This plan

      In 1911, ground was broke to start construction of 20 double homes made of concrete. The homes were arranged in a rectangular way with a central park. Each residence accommodated 2 families with 7 rooms and 4 bedrooms on the 2^nd floor. An outhouse and coal bin were placed outside each home. Total cost for the building was approximately $2500 and cost the families $8.00 to rent each month. Once completed the housing development was called “The Garden City of the Anthracite Region”. Homes constantly though the years won garden shows and all was well for the first few years.

      Concrete City started its decline about 2 years after building. The homes had an ongoing issue with condensation inside and out. Inside the plastered walls would leak and need repaired every other year. Outside the paint would need scrapped and repainted every few years. A few more years later the central swimming pool in the park was filled in due to a boy drowning. The Concrete buildings continued to be rented for 11 years. In 1924 township laws required that the Concrete City install a sewer system at the cost of $200,000. The DL&W could not justify the cost and demolishing was scheduled. Over 100 sticks of dynamite were used to level the city. However, the Concrete was well reinforced and barely scratched the buildings.

      Over the years after the failed demolishing, the concrete city was used by the Luzerne Co. Fire company to do test fires and training exercises. The filled in swimming pool was used to burn off chemicals in a controlled fashion. In 1992, the historical area was bought and saved and registered as a historical landmark. The bombed out, burned, and vandalized buildings still remain a shell of the dreams of the coal industry era. No new plans have been made to restore its once award winning gardens. Mother nature continues to slowly take back its land. If you visit the city, use caution.

      The buildings still stand but are dangerous to enter. My trip a few years ago was well worth it. It was amazing to see the concrete giants still standing after all they had been through. When we arrived local paintball players were having a skirmish. We explored the buildings and found they had a basement, and 2 floors. Many of the buildings had holes from the dynamite, a few still had charred marks from the controlled fires. All the buildings were marked with graffiti. The central swimming pool was grown in with vegetation and junk.

      To get to the remains of Concrete City, take Middle Rd which runs south of Nanticoke. Make a left onto Epsy Street then another left onto Front Street. A few yards ahead will be a Historical Marker and a Path leading back to the abandon town. Here are the GPS coordinates 41°11'20.68"N , 75°58'34.34"W.

Helvetia - Another mining ghost town

     Helvetia was once a company town in Brady township in Clearfield PA. The land was purchased by a wealthy banker from new york in the early 1890s. The town was made to house the 50+ workers in the near by coal mines. The company town at one time had all the infrastructure of towns today including: a church, school, general store and even a power plant to generate electricity for the mines and town. R&P took last ownership of the town and mines, and in the late 1950's the mines were officially closed. Unfortunately like many coal mining towns, new forms of energy and better opportunities lead to a steady decline in population in the town of Helevita. Now a few buildings stand and are privately owned and maintained such as the general store. A sign and a memorial to the town still exists on the old towns boundaries along the road.

      Arriving to the former town one is greeted by an ominous site of the old power plant. The buildings shell still stands behind the man-made lake that was used to generate power. Once on foot we set out towards the lake and power plant. Along the dirt paths a few remnants of sidewalks and stairs leading into long-gone doorways can be seen. Once at the lake, we met up with a local that was fishing and gave us a little direction to the power plant, as well as, other points of interest to check out. Along the way we came across remains of train cars and rails. Coal seemed to litter the top soil. We finally made it to the old power house which is now covered in vines and trees that block most of the building from the ground entrance. Once inside, much of the area was empty. On the first floor we found old coal shoots and various pipes still intact. The 2^nd floor seemed to be sturdy so we ventured up the crumbling staircase. Once we reached the 2^nd floor, grass and small plants

were growing from the floor. A crane still hung above from the roof on a rail system.

      Besides the old power plant, not much was left to explore. The old mines had been filled in. By using old photographs and current satellite images we could not find any other old structures. There are a few ways to get to the power plant, we unknowingly took the longer way. However, we could spot more of the remnants along the way. I would recommend going to see this place in early spring or late fall when its easier to get through the dense wooded areas. To get to this ghost town, just head east from Luthersburg on Helvita Road and keep an eye out for the power plant in the distance.