Editing Centralia, Pennsylvania (section)

=== Mining begins ===
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The first two mines in Centralia opened in 1856, the Locust Run Mine and the Coal Ridge Mine. Afterward came the Hazeldell Colliery Mine in 1860, the Centralia Mine in 1862, and the Continental Mine in 1863. The Continental was located on Stephen Girard's former estate. Branching from the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]], the [[Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad]] was constructed to Centralia in 1865; it enabled transport and expansion of Centralia's coal sales to markets in eastern Pennsylvania.<ref name=":0"/>

Centralia was incorporated as a borough in 1866. Its principal employer was the [[anthracite coal]] industry. Alexander Rae, the town's founder, was murdered in his buggy by members of the [[Molly Maguires]] on October 17, 1868, during a trip between Centralia and [[Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania|Mount Carmel]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://library.bloomu.edu/Archives/SC/MollieMaguires/mollieindex.htm|title=The Murder of Alexander W. Rea|website=library.bloomu.edu}}</ref> Three men were eventually convicted of his death and were hanged in the county seat of [[Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania|Bloomsburg]], on March 25, 1878.

Several other murders and incidents of  [[arson]] also took place during the violence, as Centralia was a hotbed of Molly Maguires activity during the 1860s to organize a mineworkers union in order to improve wages and working conditions. A legend among locals in Centralia tells that Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott, the first [[Roman Catholic]] priest to call Centralia home, cursed the land in retaliation for being assaulted by three members of the Maguires in 1869. McDermott said that there would be a day when St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church would be the only structure remaining in Centralia. Many of the Molly Maguires' leaders were hanged in 1877, ending their crimes. Legends say that a number of descendants of the Molly Maguires still lived in Centralia up until the 1980s.<ref name=":0"/>

According to numbers of federal census records, the town of Centralia reached its maximum population of 2,761 in 1890. At its peak, the town had seven churches, five hotels, 27 saloons, two theaters, a bank, a post office, and 14 general and grocery stores. Thirty-seven years later the production of anthracite coal had reached its peak in Pennsylvania. In the following years, production declined, as many young miners from Centralia enlisted in the military when the US entered [[World War I]].

The [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] resulted in the Lehigh Valley Coal Company closing five of its Centralia-local mines. [[Bootleg mining|Bootleg miner]]s continued mining in several idle mines, using techniques such as what was called "pillar-robbing," where miners would extract coal from coal pillars left in mines to support their roofs. This caused the collapse of many idle mines, further complicating the prevention of the mine fire in 1962. Efforts to seal off the abandoned mines ran into the collapsed areas.

In 1950, Centralia Council acquired the rights to all anthracite coal beneath Centralia through a state law passed in 1949 that enabled the transaction. That year, the federal census counted 1,986 residents in Centralia.

[[Coal mining]] continued in Centralia until the 1960s, when most of the companies shut down. Bootleg mining continued until 1982, and [[Strip mining|strip]] and [[open-pit mining]] are still active in the area. An underground mine about three miles to the west employs about 40 people.
[[File:PA CENTRALIA OLD b.jpg|thumb|right|Centralia area showing conditions before mine fire]]

Rail service ended in 1966. Centralia operated its own school district, including elementary schools and a high school. There were also two [[Catholic school|Catholic parochial schools]]. By 1980, it had 1,012 residents. Another 500 or 600 lived nearby.<ref name="Krajick" />