Windber Coal Heritage Center

An Interactive Bituminous Coal Museum, Gift Shop,
and Home of the Rescue @ Quecreek Exhibit

Christopher Barkley, WCHC Director (Museum)
(814) 467-6680 or (Cell) (814) 243-3671
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Windber, PA - 5/12/2008 - The art of Windber native Tom Antonishak is the feature attraction at the Windber Coal Heritage Center, now open for the season and the permanent home of the Rescue @ Quecreek Exhibit.

The WCHC is partnering with the Windber Museum to celebrate Tom's nationally renowned sculpture and art by hosting its exhibit and sale in its second floor gallery. The exhibit opens Friday, May 23 - the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend - and is scheduled to close on Saturday, June 14, which is during Miners' Memorial Day Weekend. Extended dates are possible.

Tom's well-known rendering of an eagle soaring across Mount Rushmore was chosen for display in the National Park Academy Arts for the Parks Competition and was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. He has participated in several Wildlife Art Sales at Christie's of London, England. He crafted the 1992 winning image for the New York Duck Stamp and illustrations for various books and magazines including The Nature Conservancy, Smithsonian Institute and Field and Stream. For more information about his work visit www.antonishak.com.

The Antonishak family worked at the Eureka #30 store and owned the AG and AG Anton Stores in town. Tom graduated from Windber H.S. in 1967 and attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh until 1973 before moving to Youngstown, OH.

The Rescue @ Quecreek Exhibit features artifacts that tell the story of the 78-hour miraculous rescue of nine trapped miners that was cheered by the nation. WCHC is the only interactive bituminous coal mining heritage center on the East coast that chronicles the stories and everyday lives of the bituminous miner and his family.

The Center offers high-tech exhibits that allow visitors to understand bituminous mining, the impact it had upon the employees and the region, as well as the backgrounds, struggles, and stories of the families that mined the coal and built the community. After touring the museum guests can also visit the scenic Mine #40 Overlook and the quaint shops and restaurants along Windber's central business district. WCHC is only 18 miles northwest of the Flight 93 crash site and 23 miles northeast of the Quecreek Mine rescue site.

Founded in 1897 by the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company, the model mining community of Windber became the coal headquarters for Berwind-White operations, and home to many ethnic enclaves. From 1894 to 1962, 12 Berwind patch town mines surrounding the town supplied 187 million tons of coal to fuel the fires of the industrial revolution.

The Windber Coal Heritage Center will be open with a schedule of 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. through September on most Fridays and Saturdays on the following dates in these months: May 10,16,17,23,24,30,31; June 6,13,14,20,21,27; July 11,12,18,19,25,26; Aug. 1,8,9,15,16,22,23,29,30; and Sept. 5,12,13,19,20,26,27. The WCHC will provide tours by appointment for small and large groups from October through April. A modest admission is charged: $6.00 Adults - 18 to 61 yrs. old , $4.50 Seniors - 62 and over, $3.00 Students - 17 and under, $1.50 Kids - 6 and under (group and receptive rates are available).

The WCHC Host Pass program offers free admission for Windber residents who bring guests, and additional guest discounts on admission and gift shop purchases. The WCHC can coordinate tour plans with other heritage sites, offers a keepsake miner's bucket lunch for sale to tour groups, and provides Windber walking tour information and special programs. The Center's Company Store Gift Shop offers unique handcrafted coal memorabilia, souvenirs, and hard-to-find historical and coal publications.

The WCHC web site is www.progressfund.org/windber. For more information please contact Chris Barkley at (814) 467-6680.

Windber, PA - 5/2/2006 - Opening on May 6th will be the first permanent Quecreek Rescue exhibit in the nation. Friday May 5th is the kickoff premiere for invited guests that have directly supported the exhibit's design and funding. This late afternoon event includes the acknowledgement of key patrons and officials, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and guided and self-guided tours. Invited guests include Governor Rendell, former Gov. Schweiker, and the Quecreek miners and rescuers.

"The Rescue@Quecreek exhibit is the result of a collaboration by a Blue Ribbon Panel of experts and over three years of research and planning by our Windber Coal Heritage Center (WCHC) staff," said Director Chris Barkley. "Our goals were threefold; first, to accurately tell the entire story of the heroic, successful survival and rescue of the nine trapped coal miners, the nine who escaped, and the strength of character and will of all who contributed to the effort from beginning to end. Secondly, the rescue celebrates the best qualities of the American people as exemplified by the true grit, strength, ingenuity and sense of community that was displayed during the entire effort, and thirdly, our goal was to integrate this event into the context of the coal mining history, culture and traditions currently told at the Windber Coal Heritage Center."

The exhibit draws on WCHC's extensive artifact collection of oral histories, printed materials, and artifacts or original objects used to accurately paint the picture of the entire 78-hour Quecreek rescue story.

Since the terrorism events of September 11, 2001 and the "Nine for Nine" Quecreek Rescue July 24-28, 2002, many national and foreign visitors make regular pilgrimages to three key sites: The Flight 93 Crash site, The Quecreek Rescue site at the Arnold Farm, and the Windber Coal Heritage Center, all less than 30 miles from each other.

"Two major world news events happened within one year in Somerset County, Pennsylvania: the crash of Flight 93 and the Quecreek Mine rescue. The rescue underscores the resourceful strong resilient character of rural America, in that it was alive and well at a time when our country needed to rally around a success story, which shows we can overcome adversity as a people and a nation," said Director Chris Barkley. "It's important that we properly preserve that moment for future generations."

The exhibit illustrates the 78-hour Quecreek rescue in a timeline describing what the trapped miners were doing below ground while rescue personnel and volunteers helped to keep them alive or free them. The unique exhibit uses high-tech interactive audio/visuals, a model of the rescue site above and below ground, a cross-section of geological strata and mine seams, a working interactive ConSpace microphone and headset identical to the one used to talk to the trapped miners, a mine inundation water sample, a tribute wall commemorating rescue personnel, an impact wall displaying items and songs contributed by people from around the nation, Newspaper, TV and prime-time coverage of how the media portrayed the event, and other key artifacts used by rescuers, miners and subsequently loaned to Disney Studios for the filming of The Pennsylvania Miners Story, which WCHC staff helped to consult on and direct.

In order to expand upon the themes of the exhibit and continue to strengthen the partnership between the sites, fundraising plans for phase two have been launched. Phase two will allow visitors to actually see, hear, and experience a day in the life of a contemporary Western PA coal miner; especially the potential risks inherent with the job. These sensory experiences include ambient mine sounds, a mine replica crawlspace for children and adults, more underground environmental descriptions including a below ground surveying exhibit, an enhanced sound system, and a mine environment simulation.

This exhibit was made possible through generous support from the following individuals and organizations: Berwind Corporation, Rosebud Mining Company, The Wilkes Family - James and Margaret Wilkes and Ruth Wilkes Butler, Westsylvania Partners, Alpha Coal Sales Co. LLC, PBS Coals, Inc., Rockwood Casualty Insurance Company, Babcock Lumber Company, CME Engineering, DRS Laurel Technologies, First Commonwealth Bank, First Summit Bank, Pro Med, Inc., Somerset Trust Company, and X-Coal Energy & Resources.

The Windber Coal Heritage Center is located at the corner of Graham Avenue and 15th Street in downtown Windber and is open from May 6 - October 31, Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 5. Appointments can be made to tour the center during off-season hours. Regular admission rates are: Adults $6.00, Seniors $4.50, Students $3.00, and Kids $1.50. Bucket Lunches are also available for $7.50.

The Windber Coal Heritage Center is a project of The Progress Fund. Founded in 1997, it is the only interactive bituminous coal museum in the eastern United States that tells the story of miners and their families. It sits just 22 miles from the Quecreek rescue site, and 13 miles from the Flight 93 Crash Site in Windber, PA. For more information, interviews, or directions, please call Christopher Barkley at (814) 467-6680 or www.progressfund.org/windber.

The Progress Fund is a Community Development Financial Institution that owns and operates the Windber Coal Heritage Center, creates jobs and improves communities by providing entrepreneurial coaching and capital. The Fund serves Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia, territories where the resourceful people who forged this nation are exploring a new landscape of opportunities. The Progress Fund was founded in 1997, and has loaned more than $13 million to more than 120 enterprises, creating or preserving more than 995 jobs. For more information, call 724-529-0384, or visit www.progressfund.org.

Windber, PA - 11/17/2004 - The effort to preserve the memory of the historic Quecreek Mine rescue will become a reality in May 2005 when the Windber Coal Heritage Center (WCHC) premieres a permanent exhibit commemorating the events of the rescue. WCHC has received a crucial boost for this project: a $50,000 challenge grant from Berwind Corporation, plus an additional $10,000 upon completion of the $100,000 campaign.

"With this funding from Berwind Corporation, we're confident that the permanent exhibit will become a reality," says Christopher O. Barkley, Director of the Windber Coal Heritage Center, which has archived 185 artifacts and 84 oral histories related to the Quecreek rescue. "It's now our job to partner with other funders to match Berwind Corporation's generosity."

The Windber Coal Heritage Center sits between the Flight 93 crash site and the Quecreek mine rescue site in the Somerset County town of Windber, a mining center named after Berwind Corporation. "The Berwind family felt that a leadership gift through the Corporation for the development of a permanent Quecreek Mine rescue exhibit at the Windber Coal Heritage Center was appropriate because of our roots in the coal industry of Western Pennsylvania, and our continued involvement in the community through Berwind's Windber-based natural resource land management company," says Bryan Ronck, President of Berwind Natural Resources Corporation.

In addition to Berwind Corporation's lead gift, WCHC has received a $2,000 donation for the Quecreek exhibit from First Commonwealth Bank. "I'm an advocate of supporting local efforts to preserve our heritage," says David Dawson, Regional President for the Southern Region of First Commonwealth Bank. "Our organization is pleased to support the Center, and we would certainly consider doing that again in future years."

WCHC is beginning the public phase of its campaign by asking for the financial support of corporations directly or indirectly involved in the rescue to become exhibit sponsors. "Our hopes are to raise more than $100,000 for the initial exhibit, and additional funding for its maintenance and improvements," says Barkley.

Themes for the permanent exhibit were developed by a blue-ribbon panel facilitated by two national parks service superintendents. Panelists included some of the trapped miners, mine operators and owners, Somerset County officials, historians and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

Heritage tourism has become an important part of the southern Pennsylvania economy, especially since the September 11, 2001, crash of Flight 93 and the Quecreek rescue occurred just 13 miles apart, in Somerset County. "The Windber Coal Heritage Center has the potential to be a significant contributor to the cultural and economic life of Windber and the surrounding community," says Berwind's Ronck. "This was also a significant motivator in the company's decision to make this gift to the Center."

"We think it's going to be a big stimulant to the Windber Coal Heritage Center and, of course, to the community, in terms of bringing in more tourism," says Tony Sossong, Secretary-Treasurer of The Progress Fund Board of Directors and former President of the Berwind Corporation's Windber Group. "Berwind Corporation has contributed significantly over the years to the Windber Coal Heritage Center, and this provides a base donation to really get this exhibit off the ground."

"The Quecreek rescue was a triumph of the American spirit at a time when our country needed to rally around a success story," adds Barkley. "It's important that we properly preserve that moment for future generations."

The Windber Coal Heritage Center is a project of The Progress Fund. Founded in 1997, it is the only interactive bituminous coal museum in the eastern United States that tells the story of miners and their families. It sits just 20 miles from the Quecreek site, in Windber, Pa. For more information, interviews, or directions, call Christopher O. Barkley at (814) 467-6680

The Progress Fund is a Community Development Financial Institution that, in addition to owning the Windber Coal Heritage Center, creates jobs and improves communities by providing entrepreneurial coaching and capital. We serve Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where the resourceful people who forged this nation are exploring a new landscape of opportunities. The Progress Fund was founded in 1997, and has loaned more than $8 million to more than 125 enterprises, creating or preserving more than 725 jobs. For more information, call 724-529-0384, or visit www.progressfund.org. The Progress Fund is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Discrimination is prohibited by Federal Law. Complaints of discrimination may be filed with the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Pittsburgh, PA - 11/06/2002 - It's not a real mine rescue capsule. But it plays one on TV.

And yesterday -- done with its key role in the coming television flick on the Quecreek Mine rescue -- the capsule avoided the props retirement home and arrived to live out its days at a coal museum just outside Johnstown.

"We think we'll have it up and on display pretty soon," Chris Barkley, director of the Windber Coal Heritage Center, said after the capsule arrived, crated-up.

It might be the biggest link between Hollywood and Windber since Johnny Weissmuller left this town of 4,400 and wound up swinging tree-to-tree on the big screen as Tarzan.

ABC-Disney, which finished filming last month and plans to air the movie over the Thanksgiving holidays, packed the capsule off to Windber because the coal museum is hungry for artifacts from the Quecreek rescue. And, well, the brutal truth in Tinseltown is that there just isn't much work for bright yellow, nine-foot-high steel mesh cylinders.

But there still are roles in Windber. "It can be used as a prop," said David Kahley, president of The Progress Fund, the museum's nonprofit owner......For complete article on the Post-Gazette website, click here.

Dawson, PA - October 4, 2002 - For the first time since the miracle at the mine, The Windber Coal Heritage Center will display items used during the successful Quecreek rescue. The items include Governor Schweiker's blue shirt, helmet and loafers; the clothes of trapped miners Mark Popernack and Randy Fogle; and other artifacts, which will become part of the Center's planned permanent national exhibit called "Voices of Quecreek". Their first public showing will occur at an outdoor tent display at Seven Springs' Autumnfest 2002, which runs for the next four weekends in October.

"Seven Springs Autumnfest provides a great venue," says Chris Barkley, director of The Windber Coal Heritage Center. "We want to showcase the artifacts and story that captivated a nation. It is a heroic tale of everyday workers who overcame life-threatening events through support from a multitude of rescuers from Somerset and neighboring areas."

The Windber Coal Heritage Center, founded in 1997, is the only interactive bituminous coal museum in the eastern United States that tells the story of miners and their families. It sits just 20 miles from the Quecreek site, in the Somerset County town of Windber, which once boasted one of the largest coal mining operations in the world. The Center expects to receive the original mine rescue capsule and has acquired more than 50 Quecreek artifacts for use in the exhibit, which will complement its already-formidable collection of historic mining equipment. The Center also received a $50,000 donation from an anonymous source for use in securing and preserving Quecreek rescue artifacts.

"We took the initiative to keep these artifacts in Somerset County where we feel they should remain," says Barkley. "Many visitors are stopping on their way from or to the Quecreek rescue site and Flight 93 crash site asking to see them."

Efforts have recently begun to tape and document oral histories of the miners, rescuers, family members and others who were involved in the rescue. The Center has also been providing props and technical assistance to Disney/Touchstone films for the made-for-TV movie about the rescue.

Center staff will be on hand to answer questions and will have copies of the commemorative "All Nine Alive!" books available for sale, along with Coal Heritage memorabilia. The 30-inch drill bit used in the rescue will be on display thanks to support from Ingersoll-Rand and Keystone Drill Services, Inc. of Somerset. Autumnfest takes place at the Seven Springs Ski Lodge, outdoor tents, and in Festival Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays throughout October.

New Stanton, Pa. - September 10, 2002 - Federal and state investigators have inspected the area where nine miners recently were trapped for 77 hours in the Quecreek Mine, Somerset County, Pa., and examined a breach between the Quecreek Mine and what is believed to be the abandoned Saxman Mine. Investigators have completed mapping the mine for pertinent information, damage and high water levels, except for one section of the mine where water continues to block access.

"The investigation is proceeding well, and investigators will carefully review all the information collected before drawing conclusions, " said David D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.

Investigators found the breakthrough was 4 feet high and 6 feet wide.

In addition, Lauriski said:

• Water continues to be pumped from the mine to clear access to all areas of the mine;
• Interviews with the majority of Quecreek personnel as well as the engineers who developed the mine maps have been completed;
• MSHA investigators have found an additional old map of the Saxman Mine, which held the millions of gallons of water that spilled into Quecreek #1. The agency is seeking further information on the Saxman Mine (also known as Harrison No. 2).

The map was found by MSHA investigators at the Windber Coal Heritage Center museum in Winber, Pa.

MSHA also has conducted a risk assessment of mines throughout the country to determine potential for similar breakthroughs and is working with mine operators to ensure that necessary steps are taken to protect against these incidents. The agency is presently developing an agenda for a symposium on prevention of inundations that will be scheduled next month, Lauriski said.

Windber, PA - August 16, 2002 - The Windber Coal Heritage Center and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History today announced a joint commitment to preserve artifacts from the rescue at Quecreek Mine.

Representatives of The Progress Fund, which owns the Windber Coal Heritage Center, and the Smithsonian Institution met this morning at the Washington, D.C. office of Congressman John P. Murtha. At that meeting, museum representatives offered to advise and support the Center in its efforts to conserve and protect the "rescue capsule" that brought the nine miners to the surface. The Center is located 30 miles from Quecreek in Somerset County.

The Center and Smithsonian representatives also discussed the Center's application to become an affiliate of the Smithsonian. One of the benefits of affiliation is the sharing of artifacts and collections between the Smithsonian and other museums and historical associations.

"All along we have viewed the Smithsonian as one of the most valuable allies we could hope to have in this effort," said David A. Kahley, President & CEO of The Progress Fund. "Now we're working together, and with their expertise and our location in Somerset County, this historic event will be preserved and honored properly."

The Progress Fund has also entered into discussions with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which owns the capsule that carried the miners to the surface. "We've had very cordial discussions with MSHA, and have been invited to submit a formal proposal to obtain and display the capsule," Kahley said. "We'll be submitting that soon."

The Center has already obtained the hardhats worn by two of the engineers, the survey sticks that marked off the drilling hole, the light that first reached the miners, and the shirt and shoes Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker wore while guiding the rescue effort. On Monday, August 12, The Progress Fund announced that it had received a $50,000 donation from an anonymous source for use in preserving and displaying Quecreek artifacts. The capital campaign continues. The Progress Fund also unveiled its Voices of Quecreek project, in which the Center will preserve on paper, audiotape and video the recollections of many of the heroes involved in the rescue.

Yesterday, Congressman Murtha brought his grandchildren to visit the Center and expressed his support for efforts to preserve the Quecreek artifacts there. Congressman Murtha said, "We appreciate the Smithsonian's support of our effort to tell the story of this dramatic rescue here in the county where it happened. Adding interpretation of the dramatic Quecreek rescue to the historical interpretation of the mining industry will be a strong addition to our tourist attractions." The Congressman and his family also toured the nearby Seldom Seen Mine. Mined until 1963, Seldom Seen's tours are now part of the region's growing heritage tourism industry, which is helping to fill the economic gap left by mining's decline.

The Windber Coal Heritage Center, founded in 1997, is the only interactive bituminous coal museum in the eastern United States. It sits in the Somerset County town of Windber, which once boasted one of the largest coal mining operations in the world. The museum's collection includes a wood-sided coal car, an interactive 3-D map, mining clothing and tools from throughout the 20th Century, and a simulated underground mine.

The Progress Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that, in addition to owning and operating the Center, provides expertise and funding to tourism businesses in rural Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Progress Fund has helped preserve or retain 600 jobs since 1997.

Windber, PA - August 12, 2002 - The Windber Coal Heritage Museum has received a $50,000 donation from an anonymous source for use in securing and preserving artifacts from the July rescue of nine miners from the flooded Quecreek Mine. The donation is the first to the museum's effort to memorialize the courage of the miners and the determination of rescuers, in a location just 30 miles from where the events took place.

The museum and its owner, The Progress Fund, also announced plans to reach out to other museums and institutions that might be interested in the artifacts. "Somehow the impression has been created that there is competition between the Windber Coal Heritage Museum and other excellent institutions that may want to be involved in honoring this historic event," said David Kahley, President and CEO of The Progress Fund. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We are, right now, launching an effort to work with all other interested institutions. This isn't a contest - it's an opportunity for cooperation."

Finally, the museum unveiled its "Voices of Quecreek" effort. The museum has begun contacting the miners, their families, the rescue workers, residents of their communities, government officials who were on the scene, and executives of all involved companies. In September, the museum expects to hold events at which the recollections of these and other parties are preserved in writing, on audiotape, or on video, for exhibition in a living tribute to the events that transfixed the nation. "This was humanity at its best, and we want the voices of the many heroes preserved for posterity," said Kahley.

The $50,000 donation was made on Friday, August 9, and represents the first tangible result of the museum's post-Quecreek fund drive.

The museum has already obtained the hardhats worn by two of the engineers, the survey sticks that marked off the drilling hole, the light that first reached the miners, and the shirt Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker wore while guiding the rescue effort.

On Sept. 11, 2001 Somerset County, Pa. was the scene of the crash of Flight 93, after passengers overcame terrorist hijackers. The region was mourning the heroic, but tragic deaths of the passengers when the Quecreek rescue showed that adversity can end in triumph.

"This is where these events happened, and, yes, we would love to be able to preserve and display the artifacts, including the capsule that carried the miners to the surface," said Kahley. "It would be a boost to the community. We haven't yet been able to determine what we can and can't get. We're certainly interested in working with involved agencies and institutions to do that. It's all about cooperation. We can't go it alone."

The Windber Coal Heritage Museum, founded in 1997, is the only interactive bituminous coal museum in the eastern United States. It sits in the Somerset County town of Windber, which once boasted one of the largest coal mining operations in the world, and is still a major mining center. The museum plans to incorporate artifacts from the miraculous rescue into its already-formidable collection of historic mining equipment, which includes a wood-sided coal car, an interactive 3-D map, mining clothing and tools from throughout the 20th Century, and a simulated underground mine.

The Progress Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that, in addition to owning and operating the Windber Coal Heritage Museum, provides expertise and funding to tourism businesses in rural Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Progress Fund has helped preserve or retain 600 jobs since 1997.