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The Coal Town Powerhouse
At the turn of the twentieth century, the coal mine was undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. For decades, mining had depended on muscle—human and animal—augmented by steam engines that powered hoists and…
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The Crow’s Nest Walkabout
This story was passed down by my father, who had no problem in relating humorous tales about himself. In the mid-1930s, most residents of Shaw Mines did not own automobiles. My father was…
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The Town Along the Great Allegheny Passage Trail That Surprised Me Most
When people ask which town along the Great Allegheny Passage surprised me the most, I usually pause before answering. Because the answer sounds too simple. Sand Patch. For most of my life, Sand…
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The Day the River Turned to Iron – The Homestead Strike of 1892
Before dawn, the Monongahela was still doing what it had always done, sliding past the mills, carrying fog and reflection, indifferent to ownership. But on the morning of July 6, 1892, the river…
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The Mail Carrier on Whites Creek
Somerset County History near Confluence, PA (1912) There are places where history announces itself with markers and museums, and there are places where it lingers more quietly—along a bend in a creek, in…
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A Deeper Dive into The Ghosts of Shaw Mines
The Ghosts of Shaw Mines is more than the story of one coal town. It’s a vivid journey through a slice of American history, told in three richly woven layers. The book’s visual…
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One Sister’s Journey
In this Shaw Mines au pair story, Verna leaves her coal camp home in the late 1940s to work for prominent families in Meyersdale and Pittsburgh. Her journey from small-town babysitter to big-city…
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The Shaw Mines Au Pairs
A Sequel Chapter to “The Ghosts of Shaw Mines” Long before the word au pair was fashionable, and long before families sought “nannies with culture” from overseas, the girls of Shaw Mines were…
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The Writing Process Behind The Ghosts of Shaw Mines
From a spiral notebook of memories to a fully researched manuscript, this post reveals how The Ghosts of Shaw Mines came to life—through family stories, vintage photos, historical records, and a desire to…
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Why I Wrote The Ghosts of Shaw Mines
What began as a few childhood stories—memories of playing in the eerie ruins of a vanished coal town—soon became something much bigger. As I started to write about growing up in Shaw Mines,…
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How Coal Mining Transformed Somerset County, PA Forever
Before the coal boom, Somerset County was a land of apple orchards, hayfields, and dairy cows. Then came the speculators, the railroads, and the roar of mining carts. This is the story of…
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Slingshots & Pig Iron
My friend Walt and I were making great strides in the field of slingshot technology. I was convinced that my latest creation represented the pinnacle of human ingenuity—a rubber band affixed to a…
Writing that's Rooted in Truth, Memory and Myth
