The Coal Miner

The first commercial coal mining in Cambria County, about 1825, was carried out by Matthew and Michael Myers, sons of Joseph Moyer, founder of the community, in what was later called the Lemon seam about a half mile west of Lilly. In slope, drift, and shaft mines, the pioneer miners of the greater Lilly area labored twelve hours a day, six days a week, for as many as sixty years, often beginning as young as eight and working in cramped spaces that were dirty, dark, dank, and dangerous. Later generations continued in more mechanized mines and then in surface mines. The coal industry also depended on mine owners and administrators, mule tenders and truck drivers, and company store managers and clerks, along with the sacrifices and support of each miner's family. The community owed its existence, growth, and perdurance to all of them.

Lilly, Pennsylvania · United States