JEROME, PA

Jerome mine and coal town were opened circa 1904 by United Coal Corporation. Eventually, hundreds of houses were constructed for the coal miners and thier families. By 1907 operations had been absorbed into Jenner-Quemahoning Coal Co. The portals were Jerome Shaft No. 1 and Shaft No. 2. Both shafts were driven into the Upper Kittanning coal seam. Circa 1917 Hillman Coal and Coke became the operators of the Jerome mines. They mined coal at Jerome until 1954, the year the mine closed and the company houses were sold to individuals. By the mid-1960s the tipple had been torn down, and the slate dump was reclaimed around 1990.

Mar. 2003 image by author Remains of the coal mining facility at Jerome, Pa. The building in the background was the mine's machine shop.
Mar. 2003 image by author What has been identified as a saw carriage rests on a concrete pad at the edge of the ruins of the Jerome coal mine. The Jerome coal company town is in the background.
Mar. 2003 image by author Housing at the Jerome "patch town" built by the coal company.
Mar. 2003 image by author Another row of coal company housing. I assume that, when these houses were new and the mine was running full-steam, they each housed two families. There are also single family company houses in Jerome.
Mar. 2003 image by author Another view of Jerome, with the coal company-built hotel on the left.
Mar. 2011 image courtesy of Douglas Foreback This building was formerly the company store. The retail subsidiary of the coal company was Penn Mercantile Company.
Mar. 2011 image courtesy of Douglas Foreback Another photo provided by Doug , which he describes as, "A couple of the original buildings from the old Hillman Mine. My late father Carl Foreback was a coal miner at the Hillman mine in Jerome until it closed in the mid 50s."
Image by Douglas Foreback A picture from Doug, about which he says, "I found this picture of Jerome, Pa in one of my Dad's picture album. Shows the boney pile and from the mine. Dad always referred to it as the rock dump ... I would guess the picture was taken sometime in the early 50s."
Image by Douglas Foreback Doug also contributed this photo, and writes, "I would guess it was taken sometime in the late 40s. The lady in the pictures is my grandmother, the late Fanny Foreback. The town of Jerome can be seen in the back. Notice the cut of hopper cars waiting to be loaded and the company store in the upper left. Grandma Foreback must have been one tough lady to be outside in short sleeves."

Source:

Fitzsimons, Gray, editor. Somerset County, Pennsylvania; An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites. 1994.