Robert P. Snopik. Nemacolin, PA 1940's.

As we've mentioned in some of our recent posts,it's not only the interesting things we see while exploring,but the people we meet,that make it all worth it.Nothing is more valuable than a story striaght from the person who remembers it first hand.Anyone can look at a map or read a book,but the personal stories and memories are the best lessons of all.
Mr. Robert Snopik is a former resident of Nemacolin,Pa and has great memories (not to mention photographs) of the places we like best.We met Mr.Snopik on our Facebook page.Here is a collection of photos he shared with us there.So,a big Thank You to Mr.Snopik!!His memories and pictures have answered many of our quetions.We hope to hear from him more,and will post everything here!

Old Nemacolin ferry to Ronco,  PA, pictured in background.

We encourage anyone who has some old photos and stories to PLEASE share them with us! Its a shame our history is living in boxes and in attics!! Dig 'em out and drop us an email.Mabye you'll get your own post,like Mr.Snopik!

Flashlight Drags at the Waynesburg PA Airport

A past trip to the 2008 Flashlight Drags held in Waynesburg, PA at the airport... A brief day of racing - about 1.5-2 hours into all the fun, it was rained out with a severe thunderstorm. 

Pittsburgh Steelers!

If you live in coal country...if you know what a coke oven is,if you know what a longwall is...if you know which direction the Monongahela flows...then youre a Steelers fan.I give you...the Immaculate Reception..

Abandoned Teresa Mine and Coke Works. Mount Sterling, Masontown, PA. Coke Ovens

Today, Danielle and I headed over across the Mon river to Fayette county, PA to look at the old abandoned Teresa mine and coke works.  Christmas eve day,  Klondike Bowling Lanes in Masontown, PA burned down and traffic was diverted along the river heading south along Madison Ave, crossing the tracks onto Sterling Road.  To my left in the barren month of December I saw the ovens lined up.

As always,  click on the pictures to enlarge.

View Larger Map

One the above interactive map, directly below the label of Mt. Sterling Rd, you will see a rectangular clearing which is the oven/mine site.  The old mining buildings, save one partial brick wall pictured later, have all been razed.  If one were driving through here in the summer, one might entirely miss the ovens all together as they are quite grown over and only a few ramshackle houses remain along the river (they looked like they once might have been the bosses housing as they were quite large compared to normal patch housing).

As I researched these ovens, I noticed there really isn't a great deal of information out there concerning these ovens/mines.  The following is the best I could do care of this nice site, PA, The Old Miner.

 Teresa Mine & Coke Works (ca.1905-  ?  ), located on the Monongahela River, near Masontown, Fayette Co., PA 

[Teresa Coke Works contained 50 bee-hive coke ovens ca.1905.]
[Teresa Coke Works contained 150 bee-hive coke ovens ca.1906.] 
[Teresa Coke Works contained 220 bee-hive coke ovens ca.1912.]
Owners: (ca.1905-  ?  ), Sunshine Coal & Coke Company, Masontown, PA
              (ca.1906-  ?  ), Sunshine Coal & Coke Company, Masontown, PA

So we gathered these oven had been shut down at least since the 1920's.  Any other information is welcome, and enjoy the pictures.  Danielle will be adding her higher quality shots soon, so come back and visit.

A reader of our blog, Mike Stilwell contacted us and gave his view of the ovens.  There is not too much

information about the Teresa mine anywhere I can find, and Mike is the second person to suggest this is / was the old Mount Sterling mine and coke ovens.   These types of industries changed hands frequently through time, so this might be the case here.  Makes sense, as the road running between the ovens and the river, through the handful of patch houses is named Mt. Sterling Road.  Also, Mike was good enough to send the following pictures, in one, the Sterling Plant is listed and the crew is titled "Coke Oven crew at Mt. Sterling" on the second.

Mt. Sterling Plant

Date on the picture reads 1998.  Not too much has changed from our pictures shot in 2011.

Chip has a cool blog entry w/ a video of the Poland Mine PA coke ovens HERE.