Nestled in the heart of central Pennsylvania, just north of Locust State Park, is a cluster of small towns once at the heart of coal country. Shenandoah, Tamaqua, Pottsville, and most notable Centralia all surround Mahanoy City. Settled in 1859 and later incorporated in 1863, is located Schuylkill County and believed to be Native American for “the salt deposits.” This area is rich in anthracite coal and still home to many coal companies that still operate within. Remnants of its glory days are very evident; one noteworthy facility is the St. Nicholas coal breaker now under demolition. The town and its surrounding neighboring communities built around, now extinct coal breakers, nowadays strip-mining coal nevertheless a big industry. However, all its fragments reflect a mere shadow of its former self.

Mahanoy City is the embodiment of America the great, once vibrant towns as the structures suggest. In 2013, after having spent many weekends in the coal hills documenting the now defunct breaker, the decision was obvious to shift the lens to the community itself. If the structure of industry conveys a bold workforce, then the town and structures are symbolic of the engraved presence that occupied it and the markers of the human condition that was it is hart-beat. Megacities once powered by well known industrialized cities such as Detroit for automotive proficiency. Nowadays almost forgotten, these small coal communities were the real backbone of American prowess, all but forgotten. In hindsight, if Bethlehem Steel built America, then towns such as Mahanoy possibly fueled its blast furnaces.

In 2014, the census for the town registered at 4, 083, now compared to 13,504 at its height in 1900. Walking around the town one can witness rural life is and the wonderful the sights it offers to a city dweller, this is a welcome sight as in taking the sights in and it’s residents gladly stop to say hello to greet you; even in hard times and knowledgeable that one is an outsider. This town is where New Yorkers have begun to purchase real estate for their city getaways. The local gas station located on Centre Street is a hub of activity and a good place to gather knowledge, the other; a retirement home at the intersection of Main and Centre streets. The retirement home is the only high-rise in Mahanoy City. The defunct high school nestled atop the town; now under consideration for redevelopment is a worthy overlook point to observe traditional rural life.

The history of urban explorers and St. Nicholas breaker shares a common bond and therefore this series. Memoirs of the Dollar General, and the early morning excursions there for gathering necessities before heading off to the breaker. In addition, the “Old St. Nickolas Breaker” has been a spot for armature filmmakers to create porn films; as the local fire and police department have noted in their attempts to thwart trespassers, a comical tidbit.