Published in the May 2007 American Longwall Magazine

According to library representative Irene Shepkowski, underground mining came to the area in the early 1850s, when the first mine began cutting at Morris in Grundy County. The following decade, geologists in the state were able to officially confirm the extensive availability of coal reserves there.

While underground mining was mostly completed in Coal City and the surrounding regions in the mid-1920s, a strip mining boom began and went on until the 1970s.

Now the library works hard to keep the coal-rich heritage alive by maintaining historical information, as does the nearby Carbon Hill Historical Society and School Museum. “We work with the local schools and villages within our district,” Shepkowski said.

Part of that project is the maintenance and care of a sizeable collection of mining-related photographs, most of which are found on the library’s website. The historical society also has photos, and additions to both collections are thanks to the generosity of donors, Shepkowski said.

The remainder of the collection, she noted, is mainly print material. The nearby museum, she added, houses many other artifacts such as tools, and the library’s website keeps an accurate listing of industry links, publications, historical events and topics and a glossary of terms relating to coal mining.

The staff also make the continued education of the public a priority by holding at least one event annually to share information about the history of coal and mining in the region, an effort that takes many resources while not receiving outside financial assistance.

Coal City, Shepkowski said, is just one of the communities in the region with a rich industry heritage and desire to keep history alive for the future. Torino, for example, is a community no longer in existence as it is under the water of a strip mine lake.

South Wilmington, the subdivision of Central City, Braceville, Braidwood, Carbon Hill, Diamond, Cardiff in Livingston County (now a ghost town), and most of the area along the southern portion of Will County and into Grundy from the town moving southward are also part of that heart of coal history.