Anthracite coal converted this region from agrarian to industrial. The discovery of hard coal — and the discovery by Jesse Fell of how to burn the stuff — spurred booms in the economy and population.

The No. 9 Coal Mine operated from 1855 to 1972, making it the longest continuously operated deep anthracite coal mine in the world. Today, you can explore the mine via a 1,600-foot rail ride ...

LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — A new way of seeing the history of anthracite coal mining brought Pam Hummell of the Grove City Historical Society to the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour in Scranton.