Mentcle, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mentcle, Pennsylvania
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 Mentcle, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Mentcle, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Indiana |
| Township | Pine |
| Elevation | 1,759 ft (536 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
15761
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| GNIS feature ID | 1180932 |
Mentcle is a small, unincorporated community in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. It was once known as a "coal town." This means it was a community built mainly to support a coal mine and house the miners who worked there. Mentcle's post office closed in 2005.
The Story of Mentcle
Mentcle was once a busy place because of its coal mine. The community and the Mentcle Mine were started in the early 1920s. A big company called Bethlehem Steel Corporation owned and operated the mine. They also built the town around it. This town was called a "patch town" because it was a small community built by a company for its workers.
Life in a Coal Town
The Bethlehem Steel Company built about 35 houses for the miners. These houses were arranged along a highway, PA Route 553. Some were single-family homes on one side of the road. Others were double-family homes on the opposite side. A few houses on a small loop street might have been for managers. Today, all these houses are owned by private families.
The single-family houses had two stories. They were built on strong concrete foundations. They had shingle roofs with brick chimneys in the middle. Small porches were built across the front of these homes. The double-family houses were longer and faced the street. They also had a central chimney that served both parts of the house.
The Mentcle Mine
The Mentcle Mine complex was located north and east of the town. It was across Yellow Creek, near where the Cambria & Indiana Railroad tracks used to be. These railroad tracks were removed around 1993.
A few mine buildings were still standing around 1993:
- The miners' wash house
- A small boiler house
- An airshaft and fanhouse building
Mine Buildings Explained
The miners' wash house was a brick building. It was about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide. It had a concrete floor and a roof with three round metal vents.
The boiler house was a smaller building next to the wash house. It had a tall brick chimney. Steam pipes connected it to the wash house.
About 50 yards west of the main buildings was the mine airshaft. This building was made of brick and iron. It had a shed roof. Inside, there was a large metal fan, about 16 feet wide. This fan was used to push fresh air into the mine tunnels for the workers.
The Mentcle Mine stopped operating permanently around 1960.
