Anthracite iron as an ingredient into a reverberatory furnace (and in later years, a Bessemer converter). Anthracite, also known as stone coal or rock coal, is very difficult to ignite, mine, clean, and break into smaller chunks and requires correct conditions to build heat or hold temperature and sustain burning—which oft depend upon the size and uniformity of the coal particles. Yet American cities were cramped for fuels, woodlands were exhausted near bigger towns and Philadelphia, largest city in America needed fuels for mills and foundries as well to sustain manufacturing. Inventor and industrialist Josiah White (owner of a wire mill, foundry
Anthracite Bank Building Anthracite Bank Building Anthracite Bank Building, also known as The Beard Building, is a historic former bank building located at Tamaqua, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1850, and is a three-story, three bay wide, brick building in the Italianate style. The first floor exterior is white marble. It housed Tamaqua's first financial institution until 1865. It later served as home of Civil War hero Col. Henry L. Cake and wife Eliza. Cake commanded the 96th PA Volunteer Infantry, rose to the rank of brigadier general, and later served as a member of the fortieth and forty-first U.S. Congress.