TREMONT - Mining documents, old newspapers and other local pieces of history are some of the items on display at the Tremont Area Historical Society.
Established in 1997 and located at 19 N. Pine St. in the borough, the historical items are open for viewing during the third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Arrangements can be made if that time is not suitable. Those seeking to do research are also welcome.
On Saturday, four people stopped by to learn some local history, said Charlie Huntzinger, society treasurer.
"We have a lot of history items," he said.
Among the items on display are three framed newspapers about World War II, Pottsville Republican newspapers from 1974 announcing former President Richard Nixon's removal from office, local school yearbooks, photos, uniforms, mining artifacts and even a letter that was allegedly about someone who died during the Civil War.
Huntzinger said his father, grandfather and great-grandfather all worked in the mines, but he decided it was not for him.
One footnote from history shows that one miner was paid $36.08 for 14 days of work in a mine in 1917. Another one from February 1913 shows the worker had 40 cents deducted for items needed to do his job and an insurance deduction which brought the take home pay to $24.12 for about two weeks worth of work. Each wage slip has a different mine on it but all are from the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company.
"These statements are mild compared to some of them," said Perry Pillar, society trustee.
Workers were paid two ways, either for each day worked or based upon the amount of coal that was taken out of the mine.
Money often went to the company store, the doctor, for rent and other expenses, he said.
"I got one (wage slip) from my grandfather that after all his deductions he had 7 cents take home for two weeks," Pillar said.
Not everything that the society houses is out in the open for visitors.
Stored in drawers are decades worth of yearbooks and letters which visitors are allowed to look through only with the society's supervision.
Pillar and the others want to spread the word about the society.
"History's no good unless you can share it with somebody," Pillar said.
Anyone looking to donate may contact the group by calling 570-695-3325 or 570-695-3792.