Village Frozen in Time ~ Eckley Miner's Village

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[@richp6828]

Just found your video. Thanks for all the great footage. My father was born in the town and his parents, my grandparents lived there until 1984. They paid $12 per month rent until they left in 84. My grandfather was a miner in the town and had the rights to live there as long as they wanted. You actually filmed the foundation of the house just right of the church at the far end of town furthest from the visitors center. I watched this with my father... we were both crying from the memories. I spent every weekend there and summers with my grandparents from 1968 to 1984. PS. the tall skinny boxes on the houses that were screwed shut hid the propane tanks for the stoves. They were built for the movie to hide modern day conveniences. Thanks again!

[@makesmewonder6497]

I was wondering about the purpose of the long boxes. You have quite the family history there. Very interesting little town. I liked the movie too.

[@darkstar18201]

Next time stop in and say hello! You walked rite past my house! Definitely nice living here there is a 100 year old cemetery behind this village about 10 miles back. If you come back thru here lmk I will show you were the Cemetary is behind this village. Would love to say hello! Thank you for taping and doing such a great job explaining our towns history !💯💯🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙋‍♀️👍

[@silentshadowproductions7510]

Do they allow filming? Next year I plan on doing horror shorts instead of a feature length and I'd love to do a short film here

[@WilliamWeicht]

My grandparents lived in a duplex that was owned by the mines at one time in northeast Somerset County. It originally had red asphalt shingle siding. My grandfather worked for 42 years in the mines.

[@marieconroy1723]

You should be proud. ❤

[@Ibuddy66]

My family comes from Eckley, PA. I visited my grandmother's house with her many times to see it and walk with her through the streets. Amazing how different it is now as far as missing buildings and such still. :)

[@joanna5881]

The Molly Maguires was filmed there in '69, it starred Sean Connery and was about a group of Irish immigrant miners who fought against the cruelty of the mining company.

[@Alex-px9oy]

You put out some seriously good content dude. Underrated channel

[@saigenrose1032]

You & JP are awesome it's funny when you give each other a hard time Cliff 😂👍

[@alphaone101]

That home JP is going to move in to is what a real estate agent says needs a little TLC, which to other people means it's still standing! What you are referring to as "little steering wheels" on the rail cars going to the breaker I believe those "steering wheels" are actually manual brakes for each rail car

[@vikkinicholson2300]

being sold "as is".....a real house to "flip"

[@edithdavis2848]

Think your right. Full sized box cars had a wheel shaped hand brake on top of the box.

[@wvmontani]

And if you think about it, a car that rides on rails does not need a steering wheel.

[@la-law3238]

I recently discovered your channel and look forward to seeing all of your videos. Being a life long resident of Schuylkill Co. and visiting Eckley Village several times I would hope you have the opportunity to visit again and take a guided tour. There is so much history into the life of the villagers and how harsh their living conditions were and how unfairly they were treated. As you enter the village, the homes were very sparse, only offering basic needs, this is where the Eastern European migrants first lived when they arrived, they were the poorest of the poor. As the workers became more skilled and established they were able to move closer to the center of town where the company store was located. On the other side of the store the homes were larger and offered more conveniences. The two Victorian homes at the far end were the homes of the bosses. The sheds were stables for the mules. One disturbing fact that comes to mind is, as more Eastern European’s migrated to work in the mines, the bosses wanted to keep wages low so they instituted a rule that in order to move up Into a higher paying job they were required to read and write in English, which most were not able to do until the second and third generation of miners, thus keeping the wages low, and more profit for the bosses. The most dangerous jobs were given to those who did not qualify. The movie filmed in this town was “The Molly Maguires.”

[@chris6291967]

my great grandfather, grand father and great uncles lived there. My great grandparents were married in the white church. I have pictures of the baseball team in Eckly. Pretty interesting stuff. The movie they made there was the Molly McGuires

[@eckleyy]

My name is Jacob Eckley. We are a line of opportunists and travelers and have been through many hardships. This is where my family came from. Much love from Upstate NY. Thank you for creating this!

[@eckleyy]

Correction; not came from, but migrated to*

[@danielleschiazza6172]

I like the one's with the porches!

[@Figgatella]

JP is funny! Such a cute little town. I would love to see it.

[@aaronk534]

Duplex is the word. Doubles for the lowers, singles for the bosses. Script is the mines money

[@daveyjoweaver5183]

Very enjoyable WW! I easily could live there as well. Of course back in the day the men and boys would come home after 10 or 12 hours days covered with coal dust. That song, 16 Tons, "I owe my soul to the company store". But the lay out of the town though simple and pretty common, was alive with activity. Today everyone's inside watching the tube or KZbin and the Wondering Woodsman. Thanks Kindly! DaveyJO

[@danielleschiazza6172]

I would live there! I love historical sites! My great grandfather was a miner in Pennsylvania, I forget what town though. Their house had a coal stove! I remember my great grandmother still used it for heat in the early 80's, even though they put in a more modern, updated kitchen. The town they lived in was beautiful, still full of people. The public pool was shut down when I was a kid because they couldn't afford to maintain it. It's sad that places like this are let go, they should be preserved.

[@stefanw5894]

Went there on my 5 year anny. Took the guided tour and was the only people on the tour- absolutely wonderful guide and got to see some "forbidden" areas and went into a few "closed" houses. Also visited the cemetery and the active mines near here. Such a great and educational your and site. Makes you thankful for what we have today.

[@christhompson7547]

I was there in 1995. Those houses were full of personal belongings. They were falling down. The movie set was the only houses they renovated. There was a 30 year reunion going on back then. Spoke to an elderly lady whose father and brothers work the mine. Unfortunately most of the people that lived there are now dead and gone.

[@ruthgoebel723]

I have seen road signs on I81 for Eckley, but have never been there. Really interesting!

[@comingjudgement1214]

Walking the Village is like stepping back into time. People can rent there if their families had lived there in the original village. They can't alter the outside (it has to stay 'period'); but they can renovate the inside. During the tourist season, they have to park in back of the structure. The 'Coal Breaker' was built for the movie "The Mollie Maguires," which was partially filmed there, and was not built-to-scale. The 'Company Store' was built for the movie, the original had been on the far end of town, and burned down. The Village was bigger in the past, but the housing was torn down so the owner at the time could exploit it for coal. When you go past the larger homes and storage buildings at the end of the village and follow the road into the coal areas (which you're not supposed to do), there is a cemetery (I saw it on Google Maps). It's hard to find. It might be hard to find because of being overgrown. There are some interesting things back there. But, it's easy to get lost amongst the hills of coal, and you might end-up having to exit down a different road, down from the Village. So, make sure you have your walking shoes on.

[@nateshon3eastbroadtoprailr448]

Looks awesome! Thanks for the tour!

[@marymagnuson5191]

My grandfather’s family was from Hazleton. Three generations in the Vine Street cemetery.

[@kateclark7250]

Great place... thanks for the adventure.

[@barbara-pigeonbray4579]

Such a peaceful place . i wonder what the "broom closet " looking boxes were used for on many of the houses ...interesting. Thank you for the tour. ...great job, Cliff. ...glad you didn't get in trouble for " walking on the lawn " LOL.

[@patriciayoung1880]

@@erin19030 Thanks for that info!! I visited this place early May 2019 and felt like I belonged there. Thanks for info on grave behind the breaker.

[@PrepsteadingWithBelinda]

Loved the up keep and restoration of this place, another cool history lesson.

[@greg33770]

i wouldn't mind living there, looks nice and quiet, rural, scenic...just like i like it !

[@sk8traveler727]

Here is the honest truth from someone who is a native to the Hazleton area. Certain parts of this area are quiet, scenic and rural, others parts are urban, drug infested, and have a high crime rate. The quiet places are becoming harder to find, but there are still a ton of things to do if you are into the outdoors. Nescopeck State Park and the surrounding game lands are one of of the best outdoor areas in the state. The city of Hazleton is pretty run down, and there's not much nightlife or entertainment, but there is some amazing ethnic food to try ranging from Italian to Dominican to Japanese. Our specialty here is "cold cut" pizza, which is a box of baked rectangular pizza that you take home from a bakery or pizza place and eat it cold, usually for lunch. I would definitely recommend paying a visit to the area to see how us "Coal Crackers" live!

[@sharondelaney5346]

What an Awesome town..I could sure see myself living there. Love the peacefulness if it. Thanks for sharing Cliff😊👍

[@danielleschiazza6172]

Right! It is a beautiful place for children to grow up! Could u imagine. I would LOVE to live there. It would just take time to get used to the eerie quiet at night.

[@2831eel]

Love that very back house. Very calm, serene and away from everyone else... lol Thanks so much for sharing!!!

[@prairieflower427]

Lovely town. Quiet, serene, woods. NO CARS. No telephone poles. Peaceful. My kind of place. LOVELY.

[@andytaylor5476]

Mining coal was a very hard job and the miners and families were slaves to their owners. One horrible job was perfprmed by boys ages 8-12. They were called Breaker Boys. They worked for 12 to 14 hours a day hunched over chutes. They spent their long hours sorting the coal and shale brought out of the mines. They became covered in black dust which also coated the insides of their lungs. Some became deformed because they hunched over coal chutes all day. Fire danger and cave ins were part of the job. Those who survived would go on to work deeper in the mines. There were no unions at that time and later the employers fought those who tried to organise labor unions. Difficult, dirty harsh lives were the lives of the boys, fathers and families. My great grandfather owned a mine near Pittsburgh Pa. I am grateful my life was not spent coal mining. Thank god child labor laws brought an end to boys working. Also grateful unions finally prevailed.

[@hogkillerjp]

great walk and find.

[@GreggObst]

The museum there was surprisingly neat and educational. I didn't have high hopes the first time I went there but it was well worth the admission. The walk through the town is interesting but on one of my trips I encountered a resident who walked about 600 feet up the road to lecture me on why visitors are not welcomed, after the visitor's center clearly said you could make photos as long as there wasn't a mail box on the house indicating an active resident, a rule that I was abiding by very closely. I suppose the guy was just having a bad day or maybe the leftover from a bad prior visitor experience.

[@mela7864]

You did another great job Cliff.

[@briantompkins9082]

Man that's my kinda place I could live there quiet ,beautiful, not many people and I love the woods and roughing it anyway .I wish things were more simple like back when this place was booming not so simple nowadays computers and cameras and nuclear crap. I think I was born at the wrong time.

[@SantaFishes101]

it seems peaceful, but I'm glad for technology and civil rights

[@molly18239]

Actually, only that small particular area (Eckley) is quiet and peaceful..unfortunately the areas around it are not so nice. The city of Hazleton, the nearest city, is an absolute ghetto...very high crime, completely over-run with drugs (heroine) and drug dealers, and hoodlums from the ghettos of NY. It's the last place you'd want to live. Some of the smaller villages nearby are so-so, like Lattimer Mines, Milnesville (where I live) and Pardeesville. 30 years ago they were wonderful places to live, but that has been changing little by little as the trash from Hazleton moves in. Very sad.

[@rj78productions88]

Yes, watch that DVD. You will enjoy the mine parts.

[@aaronk534]

Insul-brick. All patch towns use it. The first try at insulation and low maintenance. It blocks the wind. Its shingle material.

[@jackielammather7087]

Great video Cliff..yes me too...would love to live in a small quiet town like that!!

[@karenpacker8862]

Amazing place. You and JP are always awesome together!!!

[@vikkinicholson2300]

these houses are good looking and spacious appearing as well....love that rustic look. I'm sure you'd move in tomorrow if possible. Maybe you should look into moving in.

[@angiewanders7272]

Great little village!! You and JP do great videos together!!

[@matthewpierce7902]

Awesome job . love history and American history is fascinating

[@Keith58x]

You have to see the movie. On of the best ever to depict a period in history. The opening may be the best movie opening ever, and Eckley is the star.

[@janecharlton6780]

Great place .

[@abbysapples1225]

7:55 I believe you were talking about the Cornwall iron furnace area those houses are still occupied and they all look the same they're very close to each other and their Stone houses with some red sandstone with it when you go down the main street in that area it's like a trip through time

[@sandraquinn8969]

Good video. Thank you for sharing. 😀

[@tangie777uk]

I would love to live there, so beautifully quiet . Thanks for a great video.

[@adamdean5881]

I visited there in early August. It is a neat place to see.

[@nickmad887]

Thank you

[@jaytay8637]

Awesome museum and grounds, very well presented,I could spend all day there.

[@lindamccaughey8800]

That was just fabulous

[@danielleschiazza6172]

Wow thr inside is all wood too, it's probably freezing in there during winter.

[@danielleschiazza6172]

I think people say they don't like it because u can't go inside the houses. It would be nice to see the inside of one ir 2. They should set one up like how it would have been back when the miners lived in them. Furnished and all. That would make it amazing.

[@JamesRobertSmith]

Wow! What a neat place! My wife loves places like this. I'll have to make a note of it for when we finally hit PA as a vacation destination.

[@donnicholas7552]

Cool video! They did a great job of restoring the houses.

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

At 16:00 The wheels you tlk about, are how you set the brakes on train cars back in the old days. Had to set each one by hand. The didn't have the air brake system like they do now.

[@SueGirling68]

Hi, I love when you and Jay do a video together, you bounce off of each other so well and it's really fun to watch lol. I was expecting you two to get booted off any second though, naughty man you mustn't leave the road. You would not have made a very good red riding hood lmao. A very cool place, I too would love to live in one of those old houses thee is so much character and history with them. The site itself is actually very good and it definitely does give you a feel for what it was like to live in a coal mining town back in the day. Thanks for sharing. x

[@smd482000]

that at was one nicer company towns my great granddad lived in what was left of a company town pap told a lot stories of live of a miner and family live!

[@lorrainekrauss5140]

Great place Cliff, thank you for sharing. It was nice to see some of the things they used back then. The washing machines and that. I remember as a little girl, the neighbor next door had one with two tubs. One with sudsy water to wash and one with clear water to rinse with the wringer in between that you cranked with your hand.

[@katm5903]

Very nicely organized museum, love it. My father and great-grandfather (even beyond) were miners in the Southwest. There's a lot of old mining towns in Arizona and New Mexico. I know my family lived in a few, there's one on the side of I-10 that I can not remember the name, but there's still some nice buildings standing. It's not an easy life and back in the turn of the century, they moved from mine to mine.

[@rhondahealey607]

Eckley has a cemetery on edge of town in the woods

[@douglasruss2889]

Always enjoyable.

[@JPVideos81]

Stay off my lawn!

[@midnightrunner684]

No

[@melise341]

LMAO!

[@lynnmitzy1643]

Of course you got this.👍was gonna suggest it . Thank you.

[@lynnmitzy1643]

A little different than it was in the 80s.

[@chelseydeetta2847]

You know I only watch JP vedios and your Wandering Woodsman, think you to gyes are just top notch and I love both of you. Interesting town. Yes some of those houses needed some lovein, stuff don't last forever. Great find

[@crystalfabulous]

What a beautiful town

[@millanjean-michel3817]

the film (the molly maguires) by Martin Ritt filmed in 1970 with Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Franck Finlay, Anthony Zerbe...at the time in 1876 it was in this mining village...?

[@markadam1806]

Another great job well done

[@vikkinicholson2300]

Perfect little church to get married in?? Hmmm. I agree about the red one that looks like a former hotel or tavern. We have structures like that around here in the area where Abraham Lincoln once lived before becoming a lawyer. All small log cabins and pretty rustic and spartan. No electricity or conveniences. Old Abe didn't own any, but stayed wherever anyone gave him a place to lay down. He even slept on the counter when he worked in a store.

[@katlabash3259]

OK, second try at this. My dad and his brothers worked the lines near a small town named NantyGlo P.A.. As an adult I went to visit a coal mine and to this day can’t imagine how those brave men did their jobs. Bless them all

[@R.C.1161]

Holy Crap! I grew up in a Miner's village! Everything in that lil museum was in my Grandmothers house!

[@ronniecardy]

Nice homes, bet if you could buy one. Expensive upkeep I bet

[@marleneestabrook1999]

i really enjoyed the history the miners worked for nothing when they paid rent to the mine owner and shopped at the store also owned by the mine owner nice find thanks for taking me along

[@vikkinicholson2300]

hope you find a cool house to move into someday so you can have a place of your own....preferably in the woods.

[@sandraquinn8969]

I can tell y'all are just joking and having fun.

[@barbaraharshman9460]

Love the inselbrick. Nice old town. Would like to live in one of those.

[@louwitt7899]

My wife’s ancestors lived/worked here at Eckley, PA for a period between 1875-1879. We were told that there was some mining accident/death that affected her great, great, great grandfather so much that they all (extended family, in-laws and all) up and moved to WI.

[@thomaskipphorn4729]

This gives you an idea how the villages might have looked that were later taken over by woods in many of the other videos. The roads into wooded trails that you can only imagine they may have looked also. Under different circumstances, this town could have ended up the same way.

[@elizabethmeehan2017]

I'm binge watching you explores. My son finds your videos calming and interesting. He is very familiar wiith many of your sites, esp parks and trails, fishing ponds, etc. My grandfather invented a slate picker to lessen the amount of children that had to work as slate pickers.i found the patent in old records online.

[@jamesgritz404]

those steering wheels are to tighten the brakes when they are parked

[@jamesgritz404]

on the rail cars

[@danielleschiazza6172]

No seriously!! I would live in one of those "condos"

[@dawnmorning]

Awesome video.

[@garyhardes3241]

the little square attachments were built by the movie company to hide electrtical hookups

[@fredklaiss8964]

You should have taken the guided tour, it was well worth it and very informative.

[@lynnmaupin-simpson1215]

What a great place. People still work in coal mines. In the not too distant past, there were several cave ins and miners died. Once again, mine conditions were highlighted. The families felt trapped. All wanted their kids to move out and have other employment. Politics related to the environment still going on today. It is good people live there. Keeps vandalism down.

[@tdublove9558]

I love your channel 😍 the content is great I love History

[@nobillclinton]

insulbric siding . . .found all over PA. . .

[@Friskee62]

Very cool. I saw that house with a double fan but there are no poles for electric. I am sure they didn't bury the electric underground...

[@kimw9340]

Im right by there and never went I'll have to stop in it looks awesome

[@shortlinebryan]

Knoebels amusement park has a nice pa coal history museum. 7:58 are you talking about Cornwall, PA?

[@katiefyock9607]

Asbestos siding. My friend told me that every year there's an event I thinkin the summer where people dress up in 1940's clothes and ride around in vintage cars at Eckley.

[@RedneckHillbilly-ho9md]

Cool, this is so awesome that you did this place. I have always wanted to go see this place since Eckley is my last name but I just never got there yet. And no I don't know anything about this place, I never heard anything about it and it is far away from where my roots are from in pretty much dead center PA.

[@richardmallory2337]

If you want to see the film "The Molly Maguires" it's here on KZbin. I would include the link but maybe not allowed. Just do a search and you can watch the one hour thirty-nine film. The resolution is not so great.

[@fuzzwack1]

you cant steer a rail car!! LOL!!

[@nateshon3eastbroadtoprailr448]

I think the company store mighht have been placed next to the tracks with a platform to unload goods.

[@danmathers141]

So, I guess this may be representative of the villages you find ruins of in the woods.

[@karlkuttup]

i live in the uk and the outline of the brick foundation is the same as the ones i lived in as a kid and teenager called 2 up 2 down terrece houses and back to backs with a court yard for 4 familys front livein room 8ft by 10ft back room the same with kitchen galley at the back and bathroom at the end no upstairs bathroom or toilet just 2 bedrooms

[@pamelaattrux336]

Very interesting

[@rickporvaznik5030]

Molly McGuires movie was filmed here. The movie cost 11 million to make and only grossed 2.2 million at the box office.

[@squirrelsmagnetfishingoutdoors]

I been there years ago doing a Civil War History like the place love to go Back there again

[@beckyschmidt4025]

"Turney things n stuff"!! Love this!