Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company
Encyclopedia
The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company is an anthracite coal mining company headquartered in Pottsville
, Schuylkill County
, Pennsylvania
, U.S.A., with operations in the areas of Tamaqua
, Coaldale
, and Lansford
. The company was incorporated in 1988, taking the name of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
, a once-prominent coal mining and shipping company first established in 1820 with the merger of "The Lehigh Coal Company" and the "Lehigh Navigation Company", both of which operated in the Lehigh Valley
area of Pennsylvania beginning in 1818. The earlier company had owned and operated an extensive system of coal mines in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, two canals, the Lehigh Canal
and the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, and a railroad system, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (later leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey
). It also built the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway to move coal.
The original company was founded by Josiah White (1780-1850) and Erskine Hazard (1790-1865).
The current company was founded by James J. Curran, a Schuylkill County attorney.
Like other Pennsylvania mining companies, Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company has been criticized for polluting the environment.
In 2004, the company was forced into bankruptcy by some of its creditors, and some of its land was at risk of being sold for back taxes.
In 2006, a new management team took over.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
, Schuylkill County
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, U.S.A., with operations in the areas of Tamaqua
Tamaqua, Pennsylvania
Tamaqua is a borough in eastern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The borough, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania's Coal Region, had a population of 7,107 as of the 2010 U.S...
, Coaldale
Coaldale, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Coaldale is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Settled in 1827, it was incorporated in 1906 from part of the former Rahn Township; it is named for the coal industry. The town has a bus stop which has a billboard on one side reading "Everybody's Goal Is Mine More Coal"...
, and Lansford
Lansford, Pennsylvania
Lansford is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, located northwest of Allentown and 9 miles south of Hazleton. Settled in 1845, Lansford was incorporated in 1876. In 1900, 4,888 people lived in Lansford; in 1910, 8,321 people inhabited it, and in 1940, 8,710 residents called Lansford home....
. The company was incorporated in 1988, taking the name of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, also known in the Lehigh Valley as the Old Company, was a mining and transportation company which grew out of the Lehigh Coal Mine Company. It was created from the merger of the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation Company.-Development:The Lehigh Coal...
, a once-prominent coal mining and shipping company first established in 1820 with the merger of "The Lehigh Coal Company" and the "Lehigh Navigation Company", both of which operated in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
area of Pennsylvania beginning in 1818. The earlier company had owned and operated an extensive system of coal mines in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, two canals, the Lehigh Canal
Lehigh Canal
The Lehigh Canal was constructed by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company to carry anthracite from the upper Lehigh Valley to the urban markets of the northeast, especially Philadelphia...
and the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, and a railroad system, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (later leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
). It also built the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway to move coal.
The original company was founded by Josiah White (1780-1850) and Erskine Hazard (1790-1865).
The current company was founded by James J. Curran, a Schuylkill County attorney.
Like other Pennsylvania mining companies, Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company has been criticized for polluting the environment.
In 2004, the company was forced into bankruptcy by some of its creditors, and some of its land was at risk of being sold for back taxes.
In 2006, a new management team took over.
External links
- Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Official site.
- http://www.canals.org/educators/curriculum/The_Lehigh_Coal_and_Navigation_Company More Info