History of anthracite coal mining in Pennsylvania in 1807 (Latzko, 3). In 1810, 350 tons of anthracite was mined in Pennsylvania. The use of anthracite coal was restricted due to the difficulties in transporting it efficiently, and the industry was still small and undeveloped (Latzko, 3). The War of 1812 against Great Britain increased the usage of anthracite coal. Prior to the war, citizens of the nation’s urban centers such as New York and Philadelphia received most of their coal fuel needs from Britain and Virginia’s bituminous coal supplies (Dublin, Licht, 12). During the war the British blockade of American ports severely limited the supply of British
Anthracite February 1808, by Judge Jesse Fell in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on an open grate in a fireplace. Anthracite differs from wood in that it needs a draft from the bottom, and Judge Fell proved with his grate design that it was a viable heating fuel. In spring 1808, John and Abijah Smith shipped the first commercially mined load of anthracite down the Susquehanna River from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, marking the birth of commercial anthracite mining in the United States. From that first mine, production rose to an all-time high of over 100 million tons in 1917. Anthracite usage was inhibited by the