The Hammond Colliery in Butler Township, was formed from the Connor, or Girardville Colliery and the McMichael Colliery.
From a series of articles that appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald in 1997:
The Hammond Colliery was located on Girard Estate lands in Butler Township.
It was formed from the Conner, or Girardville Colliery, which was opened in 1861 by James L. Conner and Joseph D. Patterson, and the McMichael Colliery, which was adjacent to the Hammond Colliery. The Girardville Colliery was the original breaker and the McMichael Breaker was abandoned. The Hammond became the new breaker and was built by Agaro, Moodie Company in 1876.
The Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company came into possession of the collieries on August 12, 1876, and combined all three.
The Hammond Colliery mine workings were wholly in the Mammoth Vein and all on the first lift. The Girardville Colliery workings were wholly in the Buck Mountain Vein. All were above water level.
In 1866, the coal from the Girardville Colliery was prepared at the Hammond Breaker and the old Girardville Breaker was dismantled and abandoned.
In 1888, the Mammoth Slope was extended 300 feet to the second level, or 730 feet from the surface, with tunnels driven to the Primrose, Holmes and Buck Mountain veins.
In 1899, a tender slope was sunk on the Buck Mountain Vein and extended to the second level.
In 1898, the coal was mined from the Buck Mountain, Top Split Mammoth, Holmes, Orchard and Diamond veins on the second level.
In 1899, the Tender Slope on the Buck Mountain Vein was extended 300 feet below the second level.
In 1909, the colliery was flooded for four weeks – from February 21 to March 21 – due to an extraordinary rainfall of 4 3/4 inches in nine days.
In 1901, the old breaker was removed and a new breaker built to replace it.
In 1902, a strike took place on May 21, stopping all work for 18 months. The mine pumps were abandoned by the strikers, allowing the mine to fill with water. By October 23, the water had risen to a height of 229 feet above the second level.
On May 14, 1909, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company began digging the shaft. Its inside dimensions were 32 feet by 12 feet and its depth was 1,211 feet. It was completed to the bottom of the fifth level on November 10, 1911, and finally put into full operation January 15, 1913.
In 1910, the Buck Mountain and the Mammoth Vein slopes were extended to the fourth level.
The Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company operated the Hammond Colliery until November 10, 1939, when it was abandoned.
Total shipments of coal from the colliery as of 1928 were 11,741,549 tons.
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Article by Frank Blase, Historian, Reading Anthracite Company Historical Library, Pottsville Republican & Herald, March 8, 1997. Obtained from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.