The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) received a $48,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to create an interdisciplinary research and learning center at Eckley Miners’ Village.
Eckley Miners’ Village is located in Weatherly, Luzerne County, and is one of 23 historic sites and museums administered by the PHMC as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The village preserves and shares the history of anthracite coal mining and the towns and their residents, and the evolution of regional culture.
According to PHMC, the center will be housed in the restored home of Eckley cofounder Asa Foster and will provide “classroom, laboratory, conference, and office space for place-based scholarship and educational programs in several fields, including archaeology, anthropology, geography, public history, and ecology.” The center will facilitate and encourage collaboration between Eckley’s academic partners and residents of the Coal Region with the goal to generate research that will bring new perspectives to the historic village and its collections. It will also offer K-12 students hands-on research experience and provide workshops for educators.
The PHMC also received a federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to revitalize Eckley through the adaptive reuse of its historic structures. The strategic plan for Eckley Miners’ Village will guide the site’s redevelopment.
For the full press release, click here.