United, Pennsylvania facts for kids

United is a small community located in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is found close to another community called Norvelt. United was once a busy place because of its coal mining and coke production.

History of United

Starting the Mine and Town

In 1881, a group of business people from Greensburg started the United Coal & Coke Company. They opened the United Mine and Coke Works in Mount Pleasant Township. This mine was connected to the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, which helped transport the coal.

The United Mine had a deep shaft entry and employed almost 200 men and boys. The company built houses for its workers and even had a company store where people could buy supplies. By 1886, the United Coke Works had 300 "bee-hive" coke ovens. These ovens were like big, round furnaces that turned coal into coke, a fuel used in making steel.

In 1886, miners at United Mine dug up over 177,000 tons of coal. The coke workers also made nearly 134,000 tons of coke. The first leader of the company was F.M. Reynolds, who was later followed by William C. Reynolds.

Frick Company Takes Over

By the late 1880s, a very powerful company called H. C. Frick Coke Company bought most of United Coal & Coke Company. By 1895, H.C. Frick's company owned the United Mine completely.

Just five years later, in 1900, the H.C. Frick Coke Company produced 298,000 tons of coal and 194,000 tons of coke at the United Mine & Coke Works. Frick had made the United Coke Works even bigger, adding more ovens to reach 350. At this time, 341 men and boys worked in the mine and the coke yard. R. E. Laughrey was put in charge as the superintendent.

Growing and Working Together

By 1910, the H. C. Frick Coke Company began running the United Mine & Coke Works along with the nearby Calumet Mine & Coke Works. Robert Ramsay, an experienced manager from other Frick mines, was brought in to oversee both. Around this time, the population of United had grown to 840 people.

Throughout the 1910s, the United Mine continued to produce a lot of coal, sometimes as much as 300,000 tons each year. It also made around 197,000 tons of coke annually. For example, in 1919, the mine produced over 297,000 tons of coal. The coke works made about 87,500 tons of coke using 157 ovens. The mine and coke works operated for 271 days that year and had 315 employees.

In 1920, the United Mine produced 208,553 tons of coal. The coke works made 104,920 tons of coke with 174 ovens. The mine and coke works operated for 273 days and had 290 employees.

Peak Production and Closure

Production slowed down in the early 1920s, dropping to less than 30,000 tons of coal a year. However, by 1926, the United Mine reached its highest output ever, producing more than 400,000 tons of coal. Most of this coal was sent to other coking plants to be turned into coke. Like many H. C. Frick mines, coal at United was still mostly dug out by hand.

Sadly, the H. C. Frick Coke Company closed the United Mine and Coke Works in 1930. The "tipple," which was a structure used to load coal, was taken apart in 1931. In its last year, the United Mine produced only about 36,000 tons of coal and had 108 miners. When the mine closed, there were still 350 bee-hive coke ovens standing at the United Coke Works.

See also

In Spanish: United (Pensilvania) para niños