Discovery of the Pothole

In 1884, miners working a seam of coal 45 feet underground unknowingly uncorked the 800 to 1,000 tons of smooth, round, and oval stones that filled the Archbald Pothole. When a blast was fired, stones and water came rushing through the hole, and the miners, thinking the earth had collapsed, cried out in alarm and ran from the mine. After its discovery, the pothole received considerable attention. Landowner Colonel C.B. Hackley spent $500 to build a wall and fence around it, and geologists competed to explain how it had formed. In 1887, the Lackawanna Historical Society invited local citizens and geologic scholars to visit and learn about the now emptied and enclosed pothole. Over the years, the Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna County, and, since 1961, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have helped with preservation, although protection from senseless vandalism has been difficult despite the pothole's geological significance.

Archbald, Pennsylvania · United States